McCall's 7243 Top

I bought this pattern last winter and never got around to using it which I am a bit annoyed about now because it is a great pattern.  Still, better late than never!

McCall's 7243

I made view A, the long sleeve top, from a lightweight sweater knit in a colour I love - somewhere between cobalt blue and bright purple.

Construction is very straightforward, t's quick to make, the instructions are clear and the pattern is nicely drafted.  I made a straight size 12, my usual big 4 starting point for tops.  The fit in the body is really nice (the pattern is described as close fitting which is accurate I think).  If I make the dress I will size up below the waist as I suspect I'd find it a bit clingy for my personal taste (and bod!).

I will definitely be making this again, the options available make this a very versatile pattern - top, dress, sleeves, no sleeves and contrast collar / sleeves.  I tried the top on before inserting the sleeves just to check the bodice fit and really liked how it looked so I'll be giving that a go in jersey for summer.

I had a right time of it trying to get photos of me wearing it so I've had to adjust the exposure on these so you can see anything, I think the dress form photos show the colour more accurately.  But anyway, you get the idea!  

You can see that in real life wearing, the collar shifts up a bit though this is partly due to my fabric, I think a slipperier jersey would behave a bit differently.  The overlay also looks slightly deeper on the model photo which I'm sure is due to bust size so if you normally do an FBA then the collar would probably need to be made deeper too.