New Look 6582 sewing pattern review

I'm so glad to have finally sewed this fabric, which I bought more than three years ago. I've always loved it but just didn't have a pattern for it. Then this summer I bought New Look 6582 and a match was made.

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Rayon challis used to be my nemesis. The first time I worked with it was when I sewed this sleeveless blouse. I fought so hard with the fabric while sewing it - the bias on the neckline was giving me fits - and then the darn thing fell apart in the wash. I didn't sew challis again for awhile.

Things must have changed, because here I am posting another rayon challis project that I sewed just a few weeks after my last one.

The pattern is straightforward - darted bodice with a facing into which you stitch a V-shape and then cut down the center to create the slit. The little ties are self-fabric rouleau, which was very fun to turn right-side-out with a tiny safety-pin. The sleeves are meant to be much more dramatic than on my version - I took out 1.5" on either side at the sleeve hem, tapering to nothing at the armscye, to tone down the drama a little. And then the sleeves are finished with an elastic casing.

My pattern size is technically an 18, but after checking out the finished measurements I was delighted to find that the size 14, which I would normally cut for my shoulder/high bust, had enough ease in the bust and bicep for me to cut the entire pattern in that size.  The pattern builds in 8" of bust ease, which was way more than I wanted.  My full bust is about 40", so I figured that the finished size 14 bust measurement of 44" was going to be just fine for me.  Of course, I still did some flat pattern adjustments before cutting.  A quick lifting up of the front bodice to my chest revealed that the bust point was about an inch too high for me. I moved the point down and then rotated the dart legs in order to avoid a horizontal finished dart, which I hate.

I also did a high round back adjustment.  I have known I need this adjustment since making my Lonetree Jacket, but I haven't done much with it.  This time I did a 3/4" adjustment using directions from The Complete Guide to Fitting (affiliate link). The book says you can only do a 5/8" adjustment to the high round back, and that if you need a larger adjustment, you need to adjust in two places. I decided to walk on the wild side and see what would happen if I did the whole 3/4" adjustment at the top of the bodice, and this was fine. The adjustment helped a lot, because the top does not slide backwards as much as my tops usually do. But it does still slide a little, so I do need a larger adjustment. Next time I will have no choice but to adjust in two places.

After trying the top on mid-sew I decided to sew up the side seams with a 1/4" seam to give myself an extra 1.5" in the hips, tapering to nothing at the armscye. This was the right move. And although the fit of the top is good, I think I could use a tiny bit more room in the bust area; next time I'll sew with a smaller allowance through the bust.

And speaking of the bust, my darts ended up being too low. I don't know if this is because I lowered them too much, or if it was a cutting or sewing error, or if the drapiness of the challis just made the darts sit lower. The pattern is so busy that you cannot really tell, but I'll have to re-look at the pattern before sewing it again to see where the error was. I also noticed in these photos that the neckline slides a little bit. I think the shoulders are just a bit wide, so I should probably do a small narrow shoulder adjustment.

One thing I really liked about the pattern was the nice high armscye that gives a good range of motion. I did cut my high bust size, so the armscye probably would have been lower if I had cut my regular pattern size.

This was an easy sew with really good, thorough instructions. It's.a simple top without the need for any handholding, but the instructions stood out as unusually thorough for a Big 4 - I think it is a good beginner pattern.

I am really pleased with the top. The neckline is slightly high for my taste; it feels a little buttoned-up, but I can also wear it with the ties undone. And I really love the shape of the hemline.

I will probably sew this top again, but I'd like to modify the neckline so that there is a wider V, and so that the tops of the V do not meet, but are held together by the ties. I think I'd prefer a slightly more open look.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and see you next time!