Burda 5/2011 Model 103 and the new plaything

It's time to part, old cantankerous ElnaLock!  It's been a long relationship.  I wish I could say it had been a harmonious one.  But I can't.  You've chewed your last tshirt.  Even a service didn't perk you up.  

After the final chomping, I gave up and paid a visit to Kennedy's Sewing Centre in the city.  I found this second hand Bernina overlocker.   If only I'd known!  There is a world of smooth, snagless overlocking out there.     

Ooh it's nice.  I love the thread catcher thingy too.  Very useful.      

Meanwhile, something without any overlocking.  Sorry for the fuzzy picture.

Eked out from the remnants of the rather disastrous Burda July bias top (see below for the black version on me), this is Burda 5/2011 with the sleeves from the Butterick 5561 top I just made - with the cute tuck.    

Now I wasn't very on the ball when I made this. First - the underarm sleeves. I measured the length of the seams and armholes and thought "how convenient - they fit".  And then realised when I attached them that they fit if the sleeve underarm seam is an inch out of alignment with the bodice underarm sleeve. But then again how often are people going to be looking at ones underarm seams? 

And the second 'not paying attention' feature. I did the pleats the wrong way. I think from the photo in the magazine the middle pleat is meant to be on the outside rather than the inside.  I may unpick the neck a bit and redo them if they bother me.

The only other difference is that I used a bias strip on the neck rather than the facing.  

This is a nice pattern and super easy top. No surprises here. The pattern is rather long, that is the only thing I can think of.   The fabric is a silk satin from Textile Traders. 

The prototype, made in a poly remnant is made as the Burda pattern.  The fabric makes me think of printer ink commercials.  It needed a bit of tweaking - I needed a full bust adjustment as it rose up at the hem, and my facing didn't sit quite flat so I decided to do the bias edging instead.

And finally....I took a photo of the bias top from July Burda.  Bit shapeless and unflattering isn't it.  After seeing the lovely versions by We Love Sewing and Slapdash Sewist who, unlike me, sensibly rejected Burda's advice to cut it on the bias, I think straight grain may be the way to go.