Take Manhattan

We are having an insanely rainy day today, so I wish I had something more colorful and cheerful to share, but this is what I finished, so this is what you get. This is the Take Manhattan top from the Twinkle Sews book. I started way back in February and just now put the hem in. The sewing involved is NOT that complicated, but piecing together all the pattern pieces, especially when your cat is helping, is a little time consuming. I would only get a few pages put together before she would flop down on top of them and go boneless.

As I usually do, I looked online to see what others said about this pattern. One review on Craftster scared me about the darts a little, calling them "unfortunate" and finally opting not to use them at all. I put them in, and I don't see the problem. Like this reviewer, I didn't line mine. I've also misplaced my buttonholer, so I left off the drawstring at the neck.

Another write up, this one at Pattern Review, pointed out all sorts of problems with the way the pattern was drafted. It's a shame she had so many problems, because everything was fine with the size I cut.

The only thing I'd change is to make it one size larger. I was worried about it being too oversized and shapeless, so I opted for the smaller size. This one fits okay, but it isn't the layering piece I'd hoped it would be. Live and learn!