The pattern is available for download from the BurdaStyle web site Criss-Cross Top The upper front has V-shaped pleats and overlapping bands secured to the side seams. A style which adds “stuff” in the right place on my pear shape, no bust body. I traced the pattern, added the markings for pleats and band locations, and cut out the fabric with the appropriate seam allowances. All good, then I read the sewing instruction and tried to follow them. I could not figure out what center seam they wanted me to sew or how to form the pleats. Part of the confusion may have been my early morning brain fog. But I had total frustrated until I decided to folded the paper pattern along all the pleat lines. Then the fog cleared.
Learnings
The red lines are the center front. I thought the center front line at the bottom was part of some fancy complicated pleat. When you fold the pleats the three red line align to form the center front.
Center front seam is from neckline point to fold line for first pleat.
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| Front with center front seam sewn and pleats |
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After that the sewing was smooth sailing. The fabric is some kind of super stretch woven, with a crinkled surface, probably poly/rayon/lycra, that I picked up off the giveaway table at a recent sewing retreat. It was the perfect fabric for this top. I did not need a zipper in the center back seam because of the stretchiness of the fabric. I initially sewed up the top without the bands to make sure it fit in the waist and hips. The top actually looks good without the bands as there is a “V” at the center front of the peplum, but be aware the front peplum waist seam does not align with the back peplum waist seam. The bands covers the the front peplum waist seam. I also made my normal alterations, lengthening the back, added back shoulder darts, and the reduced shoulder seam by ½ inch. |
| Burda 1 2017 top 118 |
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| Burda 1 2017 118 back |
I really like this top.
