Where's Wally? Dolores Batwing Top

I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Spain at the beginning of this month. The warm weather reminded me that I do, in fact, have arms. Normally my arms are covered in multiple layers of fabric so I often forget that they are there. Here in the UK, spring has also been giving hints that there will be, just maybe, a summer coming along at some point. I currently own only two short-sleeved knit tops/t-shirts, and both of them are looking pretty ratty. Since I first caught sight of Jenna's short-sleeved top version of my Dolores batwing pattern, I knew an homage (read: copy!) would have to happen at some point to help close that gap in my warm-weather clothing selection. 

Pattern:

Umm, what can I say? I used my self-drafted Dolores batwing pattern (available here) using the short-sleeved and top length options. The only changes I made was to ignore the grainlines on the neck binding and cuff pieces so those parts would be stripy. I also made my friend Harriet (of former Poetry & Clothing project fame) a tunic length version at the same time. This pattern is a very quick make (if you are comfortable using knits, and probably a pleasant pace if you're not), slowed down only because I wanted to get a good stripe match on the side seams and shoulder seams. 

Fabric:

I used to have an abundant (massive) jersey/knit section in my fabric stash, but I am slowly and deliberately 'releasing its potential'! This wide red and white striped jersey is light/medium weight and feels insanely nice and slinky: perfect for this pattern. There's a hefty elastane/lycra/spandex/whatever-you-call-it content which makes it very comfortable and gives weight for that drape. These two tops pretty much busted this length of fabric right out, although there are a few very small bits left which may be frankensteined (or 'blocked') with something similar to make a garment for Dolores at some point.

Thoughts:

I'm wearing this top as I type, and my thoughts are very positive. The fit is great (I cut the size 12), but I accept I probably sound hella biased! It's a super fun and bold top because of the Where's Wally? (AKA Waldo) wide stripes. I'm in two minds about whether the neck binding and cuff pieces should have been cut with the grainlines running the 'official' way. If I had done that, the neck bindings and cuffs would have been blocks of colour instead of stripy, and I'm not sure if the way I've done it spills over from 'fun' into 'crazy'. But anyways, I'm very happy with my top (I don't think Harriet has received hers yet) and I can't wait for some warmer weather so I can wear mine without a cardi over the top!