Some very unseasonal sewing...

I bought the Merchant and Mills Workbook after visiting the Merchant and Mills stall at The Knit and Stitch show and falling in love with the simplicity of the Bantam top. I bought a metre of their tea rose wool which is beautifully drapey but also very sheer! Because it had such a loose weave the fabric was very difficult to work with and near on impossible to unpick.

The Bantam is a racer back vest with a dipped hem. You make your own bias binding, which was very tricky with such a loose weave. Merchant and Mills patterns are known for being generous on their sizing and I had to take the top in a lot at the bust but I definitely took it in slightly too much, which I feel has detracted from its drape.

I always use bias binding for any curved hems but sadly I didn't have enough fabric left to make any using the tea rose wool and I was concerned that shop bought binding would stop the drape of the top. I found it really difficult to do the curved hem neatly without bias binding and the result looks untidy. Any tips for curved hems without binding?

All in all, I like top but my struggles with the fabric have made it sloppy around the edges. I will definitely be making it again though and learning from my mistakes.