After a few distractions, I came back to my Ottobre Woman tank that I traced off before our vacation. The first thing that I noticed is that there is a bit of an error in the pattern pieces – it has two back pieces. I am assuming that #1 is the front and #2 is the back since this would not only correspond with bottom panel order, but it just ‘looks’ right (the front has a curved neckline, the back has a bit more straight). The other important thing… make sure you transfer all the markings – this will definitely help you keep your strips going straight and I thought helped with pattern matching so that you can achieve a nice looking chevron design.
So far, construction has been very simple, except I don’t really care for the addition of the clear elastic around the panels… and I’m not really sure that it’s necessary either. In fact, I think it creates an almost lumpy appearance when you wear it which is right around your midsection…. not exactly where you want an eye to be drawn to. My other complaint is that it’s a bit snug in the midsection as well so that you can see every lump and bump on your body. I’m guessing that it’s partly because of the pattern, but also my own fault because the fabric is a bit on the beefy side and just doesn’t lay as nice on the body as what a thinner or alternative material would have.
While this top looks great on the dress form, I’m just not thrilled with it when I test fitted. Consequently, I’m just putting it aside for awhile and will see how I like it in a week or two before I move on (or not).