Here a Cowl, There a Cowl, Part 2

It seems that everywhere I look I see women wearing cowl-neck tops and dresses. It's such a flattering look that I may make a pair of cowl neck pjs just to catch  my DH's eye. Just kidding.

After making two silk cowl-neck blouses from Vogue 8034, and a cowl neck dress from McCalls 6069,  I decided to try my hand with Peggy Sagers' Silhouette Patterns #550 Cowl Neck Blouse pattern.

I loved the curved hem of this cowl top because it elongates my legs. I also like the fact that the cowl neckline is not too deep. The little darts in back add a nice shaping as well. 

Here's the top:

Note: I did not add the darts in the back because it would have messed with the sequin design.

See how pretty the fabric is?

This mannequin is not my true-to-me dressform (it was in use when I took these photos). The top fits me better in the bust than it does  the mannequin.

Here's the wearable muslin, which I lengthened to a dress and added a wide belt: 

Here's the pattern:

And here are the particulars:

Fabric: Sequin Kaleidoscope grey knit from www.silhouettepatterns.com

Wearable Muslin fabric: mystery knit from stash

Pattern alterations:
Some reviewers mentioned that the pattern is too small through the bust and that the armholes are too deep. Some also noted that it is too wide through the shoulders. I kept these observations in mind as I fitted the muslin.

• Size 1 used for shoulders, waist and hips. Size 3 C cup used for bust, since this pattern seems to run small in the bust area, and I hate when a cowl top pulls between the bust points.
  
• Made a sleeveless version.

• Changed the shoulder angle dramatically by taking in the shoulder seam 1 3/4 inches at the shoulder, tapering to nothing at the neck.  I did this for both the front and back pattern pieces. This made the armhole smaller by 3 1/2 inches at the shoulder. That's a lot! However, the armhole circumference was enlarged at the lower armhole area where I graded out to a size 3 for the bust.

• I raised the lower armhole 1 inch by just redrawing it from the notch down to the side seam. I noticed when Peggy wore the same grey sequin knit top in one of her in one of her webcasts that the armholes were too large and too deep for my taste. Also, Peggy usually recommends raising the lower portion of the armhole by one inch for sleeveless versions of her sleeved tops and blouses. 

• The total changes to the armhole that I made decreased both the armhole circumference by 3 ¹/₈  inches and the armhole depth by 2 ¼ inches

	Armhole Circumference (inches)	Armhole depth Vertical line from shoulder to side seam, measured on blouse back piece (inches)
Silhouette  #550 Size 1	18 3/8	8 1/8
Silhouette #550 altered:  Size 1 at shoulders, Size 3 at bust	15 1/4	5 3/4

  
The armhole is OK to wear, but it is slightly on the small side. The next time I make this top I will use a  16 inch armhole circumference and a 6 ¼ inch armhole depth. That's sort of the average of some of my sleeveless tops that I like the best.

To bias or not to bias:
In this pattern, the front pattern piece is to be placed on the bias and the back pattern piece on the straight-of-grain. However, since knits stretch, there is always a question about whether to place a bias pattern piece on the diagonal of a knit. Here's my own personal rule of thumb:

•  Knits that stretch in only one direction (sometimes called a 2-way stretch): use bias placement

• Knits that stretch in both the lengthwise and crosswise directions (sometimes called a 4 way stretch): use a straight-of-grain placement

Conclusion:
I really like this top because it's comfortable and flattering. I plan to make another one soon.