Shirt & Bow Collar

I don't often have luck making my own shirts and tops, they just never seem to fit quite right.  So I stick with what I'm good at: skirts and dresses.  But I couldn't help but be motivated to try my luck with tops once again upon seeing Zoe's 'Chinese Takeaway Top' made from New Look 6808.  This was also my first time making a New Look pattern (why have I never given them much attention before?), and I loved the collar with bow, but I was nervous about setting my expectations too high and ending up with another failed top.  The resulting garment:

I don't think I could be more happy with this top.  Made form basic cotton fabrics, it has front, bust, and back darts to give some great shaping, and the bow-collar is so perfect for this top.  The top was plenty long enough, I ended up cutting two inches off the bottom before doing a narrow hem.  In fact, I look forward to making this shirt (other cute collar styles also included in the pattern) in some more fun fabrics very soon, it is certainly a great summer top.  The directions were clear and easy to follow, I think I'll be buying more New Look patterns in the future.