This top has been a few months in the making largely due to flat renovations taking up a lot of my free time plus having to pack up my sewing machine while the work was being done. However I am now happily reunited with my sewing machine and enjoying the new look flat – which includes a sewing corner with shelves for sewing bits and bobs.

Believe it or not, this started from the Colette Sorbetto pattern, but the following changes took it a long way from the original design:

• Add front and back yokes
• Convert bust darts into gathering at the shoulder yokes
• Add gathering to the centre back below yoke
• Raise back neckline
• Remove front pleat
• Convert front neckline into a V neck
• Neckline binding continues to create contrast line down centre front
• Add slight curve to front and back hems

The part that took the most time to consider was the stripe down the centre. I have to admit I often found myself thinking about various construction options when I was walking or during other mental down time. But working out details like this is something I really enjoy about making things and it is so satisfying when it works!

In the end I decided to cut the front piece down the centre without a seam allowance then bind all around the raw edge of the front and neckline and sew the centre binding pieces together. It worked out ok, but was quite tricky to do to ensure that the binding was totally straight and even. I think it would be a lot easier to include an allowance at the centre front for overlapping the two sides after completing the binding. I didn’t do this originally because I wanted to minimise bulk, but with a light drapey fabric it shouldn’t be too bad.

The fabric used was supposedly viscose (the same as I used for my black Belcarra) in two different colour ways – beige and navy blue. However the beige fabric felt and behaved very differently. It was becoming quite static under the iron and was very difficult to press, so I suspect it is actually a synthetic. It feels alright to wear though and its resistance to pressing also means it doesn’t wrinkle much – the photos are taken after a full day of wearing – which is definitely a plus.

When I tried it on part way though making I was concerned that I’d added too much ease in with the gathers and it was going to look too big for me. However, I think the finished result is ok and I’m quite glad to get this finished to be honest since it was started so long ago.

Although the weather is getting decidedly colder now and I’m unlikely to be going sleeveless much (especially as I really feel the cold!), I think it looks fine under a cardigan so I should still get some wear out of it in the coming months.