Bustier Top Blues

Oh dear. This didn't turn out brilliantly. It's wearable. But wonky. And wiggly. I followed Zoe's extremely comprehensive tutorial to make this bustier line t-shirt - part 1 here and part 2 here. I say "followed" but I was feeling a bit complacent and skim read it to get the basic idea and made my own way. Had I paid more attention I would have heeded Zoe's warning to choose two fabrics of similar weight...

I already had a basic t-shirt pattern drafted. I drew in the bustier seam line and traced off two panels for the front and two for the back with seam allowances. So far so good.

What's wrong with this picture? When I took the above photo I was feeling pretty smug, swooning over the well-defined lines on the pre-stitched pieces. Sharp-eyed seamsters amongst you will probably be shaking your heads, having spotted two problems. Firstly, the white fabric is much lighter weight than the navy fabric, as previously mentioned, meaning that the top bit doesn't sit right. Secondly, the concave point of the sweetheart line is way too sharp. How on earth was I going to negotiate that point with my serger knife and triple threads?

Badly, is the answer. Just look at this mess! I had to go over it about five times, softening the angle each time until it looked vaguely symmetrical. If you're thinking of making a top like this, I urge you to listen to Zoe's advice to pick fabrics of similar weight and don't try to be too ambitious with your sweetheart shape - the smoother the line the better. I've learnt my lesson.

[Soundtrack: 'Stop All the Buses' by Cecil Augusta]