Style Arc Madeleine Top

  I recently purchased a viscose double-faced knit fabric from Emma One Sock. I initially planned to sew a pair of pants with it but I thought it didn't have enough body for a bottom so went with a top instead. I thought the Style Arc Madeleine Ponte Top pattern was perfect for it.

My solid fabric was the perfect canvass to show off the design lines. 

This fabric had two sides that could work as the fashion side. One was shiny and dark, the other was muted and matte. I opted to use the latter side. 

The pattern was pretty straightforward so even though instructions were not really detailed, it was not hard to figure out construction. I posted a complete review of the pattern here.

Construction highlights:

First thing I did after cutting the top front piece was to fold the pleats and pin them in place. I just used the pattern paper as a guide for the pleat placement instead of tracing on the fabric. 

This is the right side front insert piece pinned over the upper edge of the lower front piece. 

Upper and lower parts of the front ready to be sewn together. 

Sewn together.

     I wasn’t too happy with how the pleated front band was  created. Following the instructions would have resulted in some loose unfinished raw edges in the center of the assembled band. To work around that, I decided to do it this way:

Instead of sewing the center seam and just leaving the remaining edges raw and unanchored, I decided to sew the two raw edges first using flat or abutted seam,

I used stitch no. 05 on my Juki F600 machine. 

Shown here are the abutted raw edges of the top and bottom bands. 

Close-up of the abutted edges. 

Center seam between the top and bottom bands, sewn after the raw edges were abutted. 

View of the assembled band showing the right side.

This is the wrong side.

The band with short edges basted.

The band pinned to the front of the top. The abutted raw edges are hiding behind the center seam. 

View of the assembled top. 

Better view of the right side with the lower front insert. 

I hand tacked the front band to the top itself to prevent it from drooping.

I did away with the invisible zipper as I could easily slip on the top over my head. 

View of the upper back. There is no real shoulder seam or armhole. The upper back bodice is sewn to the back yoke extension of the front. 

View of the wrong side. The neck and armholes were finished with their corresponding facings.

Close-up of the neck facing, understitched.

Some Mod Shots

Needless to say, I love this pattern and the fabric and the resulting top. I could dress it up or down!