2012 Sewing Challenge - Item Number 2 Completed

After my pants I was planning on working on my raincoat, but a bad first choice of patterns delayed that a bit.  While I was working on tracing and muslining my second version, I decided I would make one of the quicker items on my sewing challenge list - the any occasion top.  What made it even quicker is the fact that I made a version of this top last year, McCall's 6078:

M6078

I won't be posting a full review here, as my previous review is still pretty accurate.  For my sewing challenge I made view B - the draped front and plain back.  This time I made a size small all over, and I added 2 inches to the length.  Here are some pictures with my sewing challenge pants:

From the front...

And the back...

Back close up - the flash made the wrinkled look weird.
They don't look like that in person.

Another shot of the front.

I used a black rayon spandex from Joann, which I love because it is so soft and comfy!  I also used my serger for the main seam construction this time, which made the construction super fast (probably about an hour total to sew it up).  Overall I am really happy with the finished top, and I think it will be great for layering under jackets and working with other yet-to-be-made pieces of my sewing challenge.  The only thing I would change for the future is raising the underarm slightly, maybe about half an inch, as I often feel like there is too much exposure there on many of my tank tops.

Anyway, while I was making view B for my challenge, I decided I might as well make another copy of view A, which has the super low back:

View A back - I am wearing a tank underneath
for modesty sake at the moment.

View A front - I like the sleeves on this version

Another shot of the back

This version is (obviously) less of a any-occasion top and much more of a fancy evening/party top.  Because of the draping in the back I don't know how well it would work under a fitted jacket, and it is very much not work appropriate.  But I really wanted one, so I made it.  View A takes a bit longer to sew as there are more pieces, more pleats, and more fabric to deal with, but it can still be made in just a few hours.  Ideally, I would love to get a backless bra to wear under it for a more dramatic effect, but I would also probably need some tape to keep the shoulders in place.  For right now I think I will go with my modesty tank.  I know these tops are similar, but I am happy I have both of them as I think they will be great to have for different occasions.

In any case, now that I have 2 of my Sewing Challenge items done and my alterations all sorted out, the raincoat will be the major project for the next few weekends.  I am hoping to have it completed by the middle of the month.  At that point I will decide what my next few challenge items will be, although we are heading into the time when I am going to need to start thinking about sewing dresses for this summer's skating competitions, though I am hoping to get at least one (maybe two) more non-skating items completed before I take a break from the challenge to work on those.  Will post more updates on my plans as I get to them!