Butterick 5562---The top that had me drooling....

All I can say is I absolutely love, love, love this top. I know the ruched and puffy sleeves are back in style and although I was a little skeptical about the pattern I decided to give it a chance. I'm so happy I did because I love this top!!! It's one of my favorites for the year!!! I wanted to get this review done before the end of the year so that meant no camera man. So here's the top on my beloved dressform. It's so much prettier on. You can wear it with a belt or without. Plus it's so comfortable. I'll post a picture of me in it soon.....

12/31/10 Pic update:

(Front view w/ belt. It's actually just as cute w/o it. The sleeves are definitely the "attention- getters".)

Pattern Description:
Close fitting pullover tops with various sleeve styles. I made view B which had the elasticized sleeves.

Pattern Sizing:
I cut the small.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Oh yes! Definitely! The pictures I took on my dressform doesn't really do the top justice!

(Side view of sleeve)

(Entire sleeve view)

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Very much so!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I'm learning more and more that it doesn't take a million pattern pieces to create a great garment. In this case there are only 3 and they yielded a spectacular top! I love the ruched sleeve and it's extra long length.

Fabric Used:
I used a royal blue stable knit (only stretched crosswise) and is somewhat thick like a ponte de roma or double knit. In my opinion a slightly thicker knit in this case helped the ruched sleeves retain their shape. The color of this knit is spectacularly dark and rich. The flash from some of my pics definitely distorted this.

(Pic of blouse in natural light w/o flash. Isn't the color just spectacular)

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I did the following:

1. Stabilized the shoulder seam with clear elastic (I do this with all of my knits).
2. I cut the size small but since my knit isn't so stretchy I was sure to reduce the seam allowance from 5/8" to 3/8" from the waist down to give me just a little extra room.
3. I accidentally used the elastic guide for top A instead of the one intended for this blouse (view B). The elastic guide for top A was slightly longer which means my ruching isn't as tight as originally intended or as pronounced. I'm happy I made the mistake because I love the results. I'll make future versions this way as well.
4. I used clear elastic. There was no way in the world that I would use some white braided elastic. The clear is a little tougher to stretch but it worked wonders.
5. As always I inserted my sleeve in flat and then sewed from the sleeve down the side seams.

(View of clear elastic on lower part of sleeve)

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes! I'm debating on doing it in a pattern or another bold solid color.

Conclusion:
If you're not afraid of a puffy ruched sleeve then this is the top for you. I really love this pattern. It went together quick and yielded stellar results. I'm tempted to convert this pattern into a dress:)