I instagram’d this photo the other night – #fail.

The good news is that I can fix it. It came together really really quickly and cheaply-the fabric was $1.99 a yard. I’m not out too much if I decide to chuck it in the garbage. Or donate to Goodwill.

The pattern is Burda 104A and I cut a size 38 at the top and a 40 towards the bottom. And it is HUGE. I don’t know why I keep making this mistake, but I really should use my upper bust measurement instead of my bust measurement to choose my size.  And its a knit! Super forgiving if I jack up the fit!  You’d think I’d have learned my lesson by now.

Has anyone used a Burda pattern before? This is my first one.  I downloaded and printed the pattern and then taped the sheets together.  Seam allowances are NOT included in the pattern. I bought a double tracing wheel which makes it easy to add the seam allowance while tracing the pattern pieces onto Swedish sewing paper. And score – I found a retailer that sells huge (24″x36″) sheets of waxed tracing paper.  Their website asks for a minimum of $35 per order, but I just gave them a call and they sent me one sheet each of three colors for $3.95/sheet.  I told the super nice salesperson they could fold them up and mail them to me to save on shipping.  These huge sheets and the tracing wheel make pattern tracing easier than using a sharpie. And should last me awhile.

The Burda instructions are not the best, but the top isn’t hard to put together.  I used my serger for the shoulder and side seams.  I used my regular machine to attach the neckline and armhole bands – a very clean method of finishing the edges.  I really like how they turned out!

I am going to try to salvage this top because I really like it! The color is this bright lime green, and the band at the bottom with the gathers is very flattering.