Blue and green

I finally finished my blouse last night after first cutting it out exactly two weeks ago. My return to work and the heat conspired against me finishing it earlier, but it's done now so I can move onto other projects.



I have made this blouse (McCall's 5640 View A)) twice before, and since making that first one I now make it four sizes smaller than from my usual measurements, and then I take another 4 inches from the front and the back. Otherwise I find it has the tendency to look like a giant flouncy mumu rather than the simple and elegant yoked blouse I want it to be. I don't think it's a great pattern, and there is far too much hand sewing involved to make me a happy lass, but it does make a great top for hot summer days, and it also does a great job of featuring pretty fabrics without buttons and princess seams* and darts getting in the way.

The fabric is a printed self-striped shirting I bought about five years ago from Lincraft. I was attracted to the vintageness of the print and was going to make a skirt from it, but it would have needed lining and I love lining as much as I love hand sewing. In hindsight I should have bought more of it and then made it into a shift dress, a la the movie An Education (a movie which, incidentally, I hated. It promised so much, and delivered so little, except aggravation and beautiful 1960s fashions).

But for all my gripes about the pattern adjustments and the hand sewing, I know I will make this top again and again. Next time I aim to add some short sleeves to it - I think that would make it a nice blouse for work.

* Because Jodie and Michelle asked, here is a definition for princess seams, amongst other sewing terms.