BurdaStyle Funnel Neck Top

Pattern: BurdaStyle's Funnel Neck Top/Dress 04/2014 #111/112
Fabric: ~1 yd jersey remnant from Mood
Cost: $10

This is the first of the BurdaStyle patterns I chose earlier this year and the interesting neckline got me really excited to sew it up! I think it would look beautiful in a midweight sweater knit, but for my first version I used an old knit from the stash. In fact, this fabric was actually bought at Mood in New York in 2012!

In researching the design, I was pleased to see that a lot of people have made it up to great results. I also used everyone's versions to figure out the construction. It's a bit different! The drafting is really interesting with a normal sleeve on one side and a slash for a different sleeve shape on the other side. The slash means part of your shoulder rests in the funnel neck, as you can see in this photo:

There were, however, a couple of peculiarities in the drafting - with darts, French seams, interfacing at the armhole edges, and large sizing, it seemed almost as if this knit pattern was drafted for wovens! Here are the changes I made to experiment with the pattern:

• Darts: I don't particularly like the idea of darts on a drapey jersey knit, so I eliminated them by tracing the waist shaping from another shirt pattern. That said, the darts are important to the original pattern because it allows you to cut one side seam along the fold, and then add back in shaping with the darts. This is an interesting design element and eliminates an extra seam. But for my purposes I decided I'd rather have an extra side seam and waist shaping than darts, so I changed it out. Alternately, I suppose you could have a looser design with no waist shaping as well. The pattern pictures on the BurdaStyle website use darts for the dress version but not the top version.
• Sizing: In redrafting the waist shaping, I noticed that the sizing seemed a bit big/loose. It fits the model quite closely, so to achieve that same look I ignored the sizing guide and traced the size lines closest to the other pattern I was using for the waist shaping. Looking at others who have made it up, it also looks good in a looser, more relaxed fit if that's what you're going for . 
• Seam finishing: I found it interesting that they recommend French seams for this top, as I've never heard of doing French seams on a knit. But they give a nice finish on the cut-on funnel neck, where you can see the inside when the funnel is folded over. So I decided to follow the directions, and do up all the other seams (with the exception of the armholes) in French seams as well. I quite like the result.
• Styling: The directions have you simply hem the top opening of the funnel neck, which works well. However, in the BurdaStyle garment pictures, this edge appears to be folded over, with any stitching lines out of site. I experimented with folding the very long neckline inward when I wear it, so that the hemmed edge is inside the funnel, and the folded edge hangs down. It shortens the funnel neck to a manageable amount of fabric and appears more balanced. Just a note on how I will wear it and how it is styled online. 

Besides the sizing, these changes were all personal choices that helped me get the look I wanted, and more closely match the pictures on the BurdaStyle website. It was fun to play around with the pattern and try out such a unique design. 

I do plan to make this up again, perhaps in a symmetrical version with shorter sleeves. Until then, this version makes a perfect top for work. And in case you were wondering, it's a loooong funnel neck!