#teamtrashbagtop

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, two fellow sewers, SewCraftyChemist and Kathy Sews, and I ended up in a pact this week on Instagram to make this peculiar Giant Rectangle (with tucks!) from Burda 03/2016:

Burda 03-2016-118, image by Burdastyle.com. I can only assume based on this photo & the length of my top that this model is well over six feet tall.

Due to time zones more than anything, I finished mine first.

The trashbag top, as modelled by me

The fabric recommendations for this were "lightweight, sheer fabrics". My crinkle viscose & cotton blend is not really sheer, but it is semi-opaque at best. You can also make it with a knit, based on the (same pattern, but longer) dress number 119 which is for knits. There's so much volume though that it was zero problem making this in a woven. The only change I made was to hem the lower edge rather than leaving it raw. I can't say I like sewing with crinkle fabric because you can't cut a straight line in it for love or money, which is why it lurked unloved in my fabric stash for 3.5 years after I bought it even though I like the colour a lot. However, it was perfect for this project and it definitely had the right amount (A LOT) of drape for this top. It was also very cheap -- I got 2.4m of it for £3.20 -- but rather narrow (about 120cm wide) so I used all that I had for this project.

Side views (tucked side and non-tucked side) and back view, though I had my hands in my pockets and it made the back tuck up rather than hanging loose as you can see in the other two shots.

Is it weird that I really like it? OK, it's very peculiar and certainly not very suitable for the north of England in February, but I can totally imagine throwing it on over shorts and a top in summer, or over leggings if I were a leggings wearer. The back would cover your butt so long as you don't ruck it up weirdly the way I am doing in that photo.

I actually don't think this is a top that repays being photographed standing perfectly still. In motion though, it floats and moves, and the drape-y bit looks interesting and the cowl both stays put and doesn't flip the facing out and drapes in a very nice way. Overall, I'm glad I made it!

Every time I sew with Burda I remember why I am so keen to make more use of my Burda mags. It's a top that looks like a trashbag, true, but it's such a well-designed trashbag! The back neck facing/front neck facing/shoulder seam thing is all done so neatly, you end up with a really nicely draped cowl and no exposed seam or facing edges at all. I love that attention to detail in Burda patterns. I just overlocked my seams (not even in matching thread!) but my fabric is opaque enough that I didn't care about that. If you were sewing this in a proper sheer you'd probably want to do narrow french seams.

I'm so looking forward to seeing the outcome of the rest of the rest of #teamtrashbagtop (actually a misnomer, since Kathy is making the dress version!) :D :D