I have made plenty of cowl neck tops.  Ergo, I have plenty of cowl neck patterns in my stash. But I still find it hard to resist a new one.  Call the the appeal of the “new and shiny”.  So earlier in the year I sewed up the City Girl top.

I used a dark grey marle mid weight viscose knit that may have come from Darn Cheap Fabrics, I can’t actually remember! It was a terrific weight for this top. I’m guessing that I sewed the Medium, although it could have been the Large. Too lazy this morning to trek up the stairs and find where I’ve put the pattern away to check it. I did the 3/4 sleeve version, in the tunic length. There is a lot that I really like about this top except for one thing – have you spotted it already?

See those folds just above the bust? This top has a curved yoke with a centre pleat, and I think that there could be an issue with the interaction of the yoke curve, the armhole draft, and getting it all to fit smoothly over the bust. At first I just thought it might have needed a FBA, but that is quite unusual for me in a knit top. Then I looked at photos of City Girl tops that others had made, and almost all of them have exactly the same issue. They disappear if I pull the top down hard:

But as soon as I move, those folds appear again. I like the fit elsewhere however. The sleeves are slim, which I prefer in a looser bodied top, and the shoulder seams are pretty much on my shoulders.

I constructed this on the overlocker, with the machine used to secure the centre tuck in place and to topstitch the hems. I used bright green for the twin needling for a contrast. No, in reality I used it because it was already threaded up in the machine. But I really do like the contrast! So, would I make this again? Actually I wouldn’t. Those folds above the boobs really annoy me. I do wear the top, as it layers nicely, but the drafting clearly does not work for me (or for lots of other people, judging from the photos).