BurdaStyle 02/2013 - 126 Knit Top

I like to give my posts simple boring titles so I can easily go back and find what I want - an added bonus is that the spambots seem to be less likely to find it.  Anyway a more complete title for this post would be:

BurdaStyle 02/2013 - 126 Knit Top + Print Fabric Binge + Reader Testing Update + Award

but that would be silly.

So, first the top - this is proving to be a very popular make from February's BurdaStyle magazine, and with good reason.  It's quick and easy to make and has just a bit more interest that your average t shirt with it's gathered raglan sleeves, a simple but effective detail.

I used up a leftover piece of knit in my stash which always feels good.  I made a straight size 38 which fits well, but I found it to be really long so chopped a good few inches off the hem - you can see above that the garment looks a lot longer than the line drawing.  After wearing I can also say I should have pulled the neck binding in a bit tighter, but I can live with it.  Other than that there is not a lot to say about the construction, I definitely recommend giving this pattern a try, I'm sure I am going to make it again.  

Sleeve detail, the neckline is bound with self made binding.

Fabric binge
Do you remember last time I went to the fabric market in Sham Shui Po I bought sensible solid pieces.  Perhaps that wasn't a good idea because I went print mad this time.  But you never know what you are going to find so you just have to snap these pieces up when you can.  That's my story and I am sticking to it!

Love this collageit application, clockwise from top left we have:

• the whole pile - I plan on using these next so they can stay out
• bird prints (a bit 2 seasons ago, but I don't care!), really love the cotton on the right
• slinky jerseys, the one on the left is now almost a dress, the middle a top
• grey/black/white, I really like the digital printed pansy silk in the middle, actually what am I saying I love them all!
• my favourite, if you took a photo of a parrotfish, blew it up (the photo not the fish) and printed it on silk this is what you end up with
• a bit more up to date - this season's emerald colour leopard chiffon and a mint cotton lace

Reader experiments
It was great to get all your feedback on the last post and I'm also getting lots of information on other blogs.  I am currently using Feedly which now I have worked out where the menu and preference settings are (3 little lines on the left and wheely thing on the right respectively) am finding it OK.  At the moment - but not after 1 July obviously - it grabs data from and syncs 2 ways with google reader.  Unfortunately I hadn't fully grasped this in my early experiments and inadvertently marked as read a bunch of posts I had saved to comment on later and of course now I can't recall whose they were.  So now I am just sticking with feedly for the time being.  Gail, I will try and add a subscription thingy to my blog.

Award
Last but by no means least I was lucky enough to get a Lovely Blogger award from Sewing in Athens.  Thank you!  These awards are always such a great way of finding new blogs and this one is no exception, I love her tagline "How many dresses are too many", a question I should probably ask myself more often.  Go check out her blog here, the latest post is for a gorgeous Patrones pussy bow blouse.