A Forest Bird Never Wants a Cage

Pink finch and linnet bird?  Maybe not.

 I've recently finished Simplicity 2501, and while I'm really proud of my work on this blouse, it's been a learning experience.  Let me just warn you before we get too far that despite my best intentions, this is about a size too small and a good three inches too short.  However, there are a lot of things to love about this blouse, too.  I made View D with the short sleeves.  I originally wanted to do View D with the sleeves as shown on the envelope, but since I bought the fabric before I knew exactly what pattern I was going to make with it, I didn't have enough. 

I used this beautiful cotton voile that I purchased at Mill End Store last summer.  It kills me that I don't have this fabric to make something for myself anymore, because I was in love with this material.  It's so light and airy that it's perfect for summer.  I think I saw this fabric still available earlier this winter, so I think I might venture back to see if I can get some more.

Here's the blouse on me.

Huh.  From here, it doesn't look too bad, but trust me.  I barely got it buttoned at the waist.

Lesson #1:  Retake your measurements regularly, particularly if you suspect that you might have changed sizes.

I started with a size 12; however, I suspect that I should have gone up to the 14, so even though I did pattern fit this and do a slight full bust adjustment, it still didn't give me quite enough room for comfort, both physical and mental.

I think the bad fit might be a little clearer in this shot.  You can really see how short this turned out on me and the gaping of the buttons.  I'm not particularly long-waisted or tall, so the length (or lack of it) surprised me, especially since it doesn't look this short on the model on the pattern envelope.

Can you tell which button I neglected to do?

Further proof?  Here it is from the back.

So, full bust adjustment or not, the back is too small.  See all the pulling?  My pattern fitting did not look like this.  I took photos and everything because I suspected that the back might be too small.  Which brings us to . . .

Lesson #2:  Measure the pattern to verify that it will not only fit you but also have the appropriate design and wearing ease, particularly when your fabric has no stretch.

-and-

Lesson #3:  Don't go months without sewing wovens because stretch fabrics are easier to fit and faster to sew.

Here it is on the hanger.  Isn't it pretty?

That being said, I love this pattern so much that I'm headed to Joann's on Saturday so that I can get another copy to correct my fitting mistakes before this week's Simplicity pattern sale ends.  I guess this version will have to stand both as a muslin and as a practice piece.

This was my first time using a pattern that had a cup size, but I had been warned that I might want to go up to a D cup instead of my usual C.  That was so right, because I still had to add a 1/2 inch FBA, and I really don't think that was because of making the wrong size.  In spite of this, I loved the cup sizes because I'm always convinced that I distort bodices with my usual 1-2 inch FBA.  My only issue?  A smaller FBA means that you make smaller adjustments to the rest of the pattern, and if you rely on the full FBA adjustments to make other parts of the pattern large enough (like I do), you could find yourself with a garment that just doesn't work the way you expected it to.  On the plus side, I do think that I've mastered the simple sleeve alteration because I did a 1 inch enlargement, and that turned out perfectly.

Lesson #4:  When you do something for the first time, make sure that you really understand what you're doing before you do something permanent like cut your fashion fabric.

I thought that the instructions were fairly clear.  Others who have made this pattern have mentioned that the instructions jump around, and they do, but with as many different variations in both the bodice and the sleeves, I'm not so sure that couldn't be avoided.

You can see here my coordinating waistband facing.

I didn't pay enough attention to the pattern instructions, so I ended up only cutting two of the front waistband.  If I'd gone through the pattern more thoroughly and paid attention to how many fabric pieces each pattern piece needed, I would have realized that the waistband was self-faced.  I improvised and used a white shirting for the waistband facing, both front and back.  In retrospect, I think that worked out better.  The fabric is a very sheer voile that I chose not to underline as I planned to wear this with a white silk camisole.  Having both the outer fabric and facing with a pattern on it might have just ended up looking muddy.

Lesson #5:  Read through all of the pattern instructions, no matter how boring it is.  Don't just wing it.

-and-

Lesson #6:  Don't dispose of your extra fabric until the project is finished just in case you forgot to cut something.

Because the fabric was so sheer, I decided to try French seams.  And aren't they beautiful?  They were so much easier than I thought they would be, and they do look lovely from inside and out. 

peplum a good three inches.  Other than that, there aren't any changes that I would make. 

So, I guess the only question that remains is what do I do with my gorgeous blouse?  I'm too proud of it for it to go in the donation pile, but I don't know anyone who it would fit both physically and style-wise  Maybe I can frame it and hang it as art in the sewing room.