Well, I know I'm just talking to myself in this thread, but I tried it a third and last time with the same results. The odd thing is that it is perfect on the back side.

But I'm throwing it all in the trash now. I'll see if I can find a pattern for beginners. If I ever decide to try this pattern again, I'll check back here and see if anyone posted any advice.

The reason for the "corners" is that you need to sew a few stitches straight across at the point, rather than come to a point. Then when turned over, you will have a point and not the puckering.
You might want to loosen the tension a little bit when sewing those lines to keep the rest from puckering, too.
Another tip, after you stitch and before you turn, press it to relax the thread.

Thank you shady lady. I did sew the flat line on the bottom like the pattern. On the 3 I did, I tried each of these things:, I cut through the middle right to the double stitched bottom, snipped to each corner, trimmed the excess, trimmed the excess and clipped to the stitch line, and cut it all close to the stitch line. I'll try it again by adjusting the tension.

I didn't throw it in the trash though. I decided to give this facing another try, without interfacing, and it was perfect. So then I did it again but this time cut the interfacing so it wasn't in the stitch line. It was tolerable.

I'm not sure if the purpose of interfacing is to stabilize the stitch line or just keep the fabric around the slit from flopping, and if the way I did it last, with no interfacing in the stitch line will matter. When the shirt is finished, it will have topstitching around the slit which will be through the interfacing.

I would do these things--I have no idea if they will work.

Option No. 1: As I stitched down to the bottom of the slit, I would stop one stitch before the very bottom, turn the fabric 45 degrees, and take ONE stitch diagonally across the corner. Then I'd turn the fabric the remaining 45 degree to stitch across. I'd similarly do the diagonal stitch across the corner on the other side.

Option No. 2: I would cut down the center, stop just before the expected spot, and snip from there toward each corner (making an upside down Y, w/ teeny little arms).

Not sure if i'd combine them.

I would also say that the puckering on the 2nd one is less the corner and more the stitching, period. So I'd loosen the tension, and I'd as someone else suggested, I'd iron the stitching flat, before turning it, to relax the thread and to set the stitching into the fabric.

I once had a problem like this, and I found that the fabric relaxed into the formation after a little bit of time.

Ok, thanks. I just cut out 4 more upper top pieces and facings, so I can keep trying.

Thank you talley sue! Those suggestions really helped. There wasn't enough room at the bottom to pivot 45, but loosening the tension and heating the seam before turning and pressing made a big difference.

I cut out the pattern again in a fabric with a busy pattern and this time the facing part looks great.

The first time I cut out size 18, but it was too wide in the shoulders and the bust was too low - the darts hit the bottom of my ribs. So this time I cut the neck and shoulder seams at size 10, the arm holes at size 12 and the rest at size 18. I haven't put on the sleeves yet and am a bit apprehensive that my odd sizes will have that messed up, but the sleeveless version fit pretty well. I even practiced French seams on one side.

Now on to the sleeves.

Sounds like you're having fun!

I'm glad my suggestions helped (but I think they were other peoples' too, before mine).

Yes, you are right talley_sue. Many thanks also to shadylady2u for the advice to loosen the stitches and relax the thread. Sorry I missed that.

I did have a problem with the sleeves, mainly because I cut the shoulder seam on the size 10 line and the sleeve and sleeve curve on the 12. I guess my arms are too fat for a size 12 sleeve and I tried the other side with a size 18 sleeve. It worked, but even it was a bit tight.

The suggested fabrics for this pattern are cotton and cotton blend I think, but I wonder what would happen if I tried it in knit - not that I can sew a knit without stretching every seam.

I'm looking at your seams above and there's something not right.

First of all, the fabric is wrinkled. I try to press all the wrinkles out of the fabric before I even sew.

Then I see an awful lot of puckering going on like the fabric is being eased when it shouldn't be. I don't think this is a tension problem...at least not on the machine. The tension should adjust the height of the intersection of the top thread and the bobbin thread in the stitch itself...but not how the 2 fabrics are coming together. The only things I can think of that would cause that is something to do with the feed dog pressure...like maybe the pressure is too much so it's dragging the bottom fabric along faster than the top one. It also could be that the needle is damaged and needs to be replaced and/or it is the wrong size or kind of needle for the fabric. Otherwise it could be one of technique, that you are either pushing or pulling the fabric while you are stitching it causing it to move faster or slower than the machine needs it. You should have one hand in front of the machine, guiding but not pushing the fabric. The other hand should be on the side of the machine, helping to move the weight of the fabric along side so that the fabric keeps up with the speed of the machine. You should not pull or stretch the fabric while sewing with a hand in front and back.

I think the issue with the point is that the interfacing should not be in the stitching line as it's adding too much bulk to the narrow point and isn't turning properly.

Also, a key to good sewing is ironing, ironing, ironing. After you sew the seam, press it flat to set the stitches and then turn and press again. A lot of those puckers look like they'd come out with a good pressing. That's when you can stretch the fabric to pull the puckers out...when pressing. But not when sewing.

Watching Angela Wolf, I learned all about clappers and now I never sew without one...it yields such a good, sharp seam and hem. I had DH make me one out of a scrap 2x4...works great. But you can buy them from amazon too.

When I did it the 5th or 6th time, it came out much better.

What is a clapper?

A clapper is a hardwood block about 18" long and 4" across.

Here is a link that might be useful: the clapper

marti, given what you were saying about your bust size and pattern size, I think you might be interested in this piece...from Simplicity and about using a high bust measurement instead of the actual measurement if your cup size is larger than B.

This may help with some fit issues you are having.

Here is a link that might be useful: Selecting pattern size

Thanks Annie. I had read in other posts about "high bust" and wondered what that was. I'll bookmark that and read it again before I start again.

I found it interesting that your first attempts were perfect on the back side. Many times people are not aware that the feed dogs will cause most fabrics to micro-gather as you stitch.

Perhaps if you had turned your item over and stitched on the opposite side of the one you were sewing on, you might of had a different result.

This micro-gathering is something to keep in mind. Let it be your friend and help you....such as when setting in sleeves.

Another tip that I learned about 50 years ago is to decrease the stitch size as you get closer to the point. Right at the point you want it to be really tiny.

A different interfacing might have helped too. Looks like a very light weight one might have been easier.

I've been making a lot of these tunic tops. I use a pattern I made myself. I started with a huge square, which I adjusted to a rectangle. I will photo my patterns and the tunics I made and if you are interested in the pattern, I will give you the dimensions. I will do that tomorrow.

I love big baggy stuff. I also top stitch about an 1/8 of an inch from the edge all around the neck. I helps flatten that pointed part in the front.