I have a love-hate relationship with tank tops.  I like the fact that they’re cool on a hot summer’s day, or great for layering under jackets, but generally speaking I just don’t like them very much.  As a trial (and to use up remnants I didn’t much care about), enter Burda Plus SS-2011-421.I just say I was pleasantly surprised by the time I tried this on.  I had enough remnants of dotty jersey from the Claire McCardell dress that I could get this top out of it.  And I’m liking it.  I may use this pattern as a TNT for jersey remnants of approximately one metre.  I was initially drawn to the pattern because it just looked so nice on the model, who wears is in about 5 different versions throughout the magazine spread.  I liked the gathered CF, and, quite frankly, thought I’d use this little project to see if such a design would look half decent.

The armholes and neckline are finished with a strip of self-fabric cut on the straight grain like most knit garments.  The edges are finished prior to sewing up the sides or CF seams.  It’s fast and it looks nice.  I don’t own a cover stitch machine, and probably never will, so I simply turned up the hem allowance and stitched two lines of very long stitches while stretching the bejeebers out of the fabric.  I used a straight stretch stitch – or triple stitch – for all the seams.  I’m really liking that stitch for knits.  It’s very secure, so I can safely trim the allowances down to as little as 3/16”,  and I don’t have to bother serging the seams if I don’t want to.

I still haven’t figured out Burda’s sizing for knits. I’ve made up a couple of garments from BurdaStyle, and they all seem to be drafted on the big side. If I cut the pattern according to my measurements and Burda’s recommendation, it invariably ends up huge. Not so this pattern. Odd, but welcome. I cut the smallest size without any seam allowances, and although it does work for me, I’d prefer a little more fabric in the width for the next garment. I wasn’t too sure about the depth of the neckline, so I adjusted it up about 2 inches. I think I’ll leave it as drafted for the next go ‘round. Ditto the armscyes – I re-drafted them a little on the high side. Comfortable, but a little high for my liking. This means, dear readers, that I can actually sew up this dear little top without any adjustments.

You could knock me over with the proverbial feather. It also makes me wonder, “Do all the Burda Plus patterns fit like this?” If they do, and I don’t have to make 30 different adjustments to each pattern, I’m in cut-and-sew-without-thinking-fitting heaven!