On Tuesday (mostly), I made a second Lou Box Top (yes, I know you haven’t really seen the first yet), this time out of a super-cheap plain black viscose fabric which was very different to work with than the Atelier Brunette cotton of the first.

Very soft and flowy. Not exactly slippery, but it didn’t always stay where I wanted it too. And stretchy? Oh my. Which totally freaked me out because once complete and I tried it on, the bias-bound neckline seemed to be totally stretched out and I’d resigned myself to only being able to wear it around the house. Well, what a miracle a quick jog through the washing machine can make!

Not a perfect neckline (I suspect I should have washed the fabric twice before sewing because all the seams have puckered a little in the wash so I think it might have shrunk a little bit) but certainly flat and it actually sits very nicely indeed.

For this one, I decided to try the scoopneck version. I quite like the look, but I think maybe it’s a bit wide for me. I also think the bulk of my lady cargo in front is throwing the balance off, and the whole shirt just tries to escape backwards. I have this a tiny bit with the first one, but being a crewneck style, and the fabric so very very light (this rayon has more weight than it looks like), it’s not a big deal either in terms of comfort or look. But this one shifts around a lot while I’m wearing it, with the escaping down the back and also trying to escape down one or other shoulder too, so while I’m happy with it (and also contemplating some 80s-style strappy-top-underneath solutions) some adjustments may be needed for future versions.

First I think I’ll review the blog post I found for doing an FBA without darts to sort out the length of the front and get the front/back balance back. But I also think it might help if the neckline isn’t quite so wide, so I might have a go at adjusting the pattern to bring it in a little. I bought myself a cowl-neck top yesterday and I’m thinking I might also have a go at drafting a neckline version inspired by that because that style seems to really suit me and should be easy to work out.

Oh, and while the scoopneck version doesn’t actually need the button-up at the back, I did it anyway because I didn’t really want to deviate too much from the pattern and being so plain I felt it would be nice with a little detail. So I used a purple button 🙂