02 October 2012

Review: Burda 7519 Cowl Neck shirt




Burda's 7519 is two shirt patterns (same tissue) with a cowl neck and either short/fitted/sleeveless variation or long/loose/draped sleeve variation.

The fabric suggestions are jersey, satin, and crepe.  It is rare to run into a knit or woven, your choice, pattern.  They are usually either/or.

The front is cut on the bias, while the back is on the straight of grain.

I've been looking (and looking and looking) for a close fitted cowl neck top.  I really like the look of the cowl neck, but generally don't like the way they fit on me.

I made the sleeveless variation up in a thin rayon knit.  I narrowed the cowl neck by 2 inches total (it looked too big as drawn), performed a typical sway back alteration, and cut it in the smallest size.

Result?  I think the back looks good, the side view is nice, but the front is too big.  It hangs, because I don't have the, uh, chesticules to fill the top.

I suspect I would need to grade the front down another size or two, further narrow the cowl, and then, maybe, I would like the front view.




The back view is fairly comfortably fitted. The darts are a nice touch.



The side view looks good to me.  Close fit, but not tight.




But the front just has too much excess fabric.  Cowls are a fiddly pattern.  Nudged a little to far either way and they are no longer elegant. 

This one falls into the not elegant on me category. 

I am torn, do I continue fiddling with pattern?  Or try something new?  Because I'm all about trying a new pattern ... but feel that this one is close ...

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