Muse Hipi Top

Fabric: Levana stripy merino - very lightweight and quite see through  - I think it was a meter.
Pattern: Muse Hipi Top  Knit fabric pattern with three front and three back panels and an optional hem band.
Adjustments: The pattern has a central panel and two side panels for the front and back.  I traced a 42 for the neck and shoulders and cut a straight 42 for the central panels graded to a 46 at the side panels essentially removing the waist curve.  I added 1 inch to the central panels around the bust point and pivoted it out in the side panels. I traced and cut 42 sleeves. Muse tends to have longer sleeves so the fact that I shortened sleeves by 1.5 inches shouldn't be super suprizing. I also cut the 'longer' version which is then hemmed but added the hem band to this as it felt a bit short to just hem it.  I should have trusted my gut as the neck band is a little loose for my liking - my feeling is this is as a result of the fabric I used rather than the pattern piece and it would have been good to shorten this too.



I also made use of my coverstitch and really like the finish it gives (though to be honest its nowhere near as useful as my sewing machine or overlocker).



The fabric is nice in the abstract but I'm not really feeling it for this pattern.



The stripes look great here but I didn't get the fit right on my version. Its not a top I feel great in.  Though its very comfortable.



The hem band is a nice touch.



I think from this photo I need to add about an inch to the centre front length and grade it out to the sides. 



The back is far too oversized for me and the next version I think I'll try to take excess fabric out of the central back panel to make the top a little more fitted.



The sleeves are fun and I think look well from the front.  I used my serger and cover stitch for the sewing and its a quick and satisfying sew.  The instructions are nice and clear.



But the excess fabric at the back is annoying (which could very well be the way I cut it out and my grading between sizes as I haven't seen this issue with other people's versions).



Yup, still see that lift here.  Definitely need to account for my larger bust a little more.  Muse is designed for a B cup so this wasn't unexpected.



Verdict: a comfy top that doesn't quite make me happy to wear it.  Its snuggly and comfortable and the fabric is warm for this type of year but its a bit Meh! on me.  My friend Sarah was here when I made it and she loved it so I've already cut out a version for her and need to sew it up over the next few weeks (its summer in Ireland so a merino top won't be high on her list of wears for a while!).

The fabric is so lightweight that I'll have to wear something underneath it but I have a tonne of tank tops so that's not a problem!

Not sure if I'll make more for me but I might.  The only thing holding me back is the other things already in my queue! I think I'll play around with the back pieces and maybe also the side shaping as it seems a shame to have blended that almost completely out when merging the sizes together but its also probably reflective of my body shape - as indicted by a fairly similar change I made to the Cashmerette Ipswich swimsuit.

Tester notes: I was given a tester copy of this top and a final copy of the pattern for my comments on the pattern. I know Kat and she is one of the most awesome sewing people and really great to test for.  I wasn't expected to write a review or provide photos of the final garment and as you can tell from the above, my review is honest!  I don't have affiliate links and won't receive anything for writing this review.