I wasn't feeling in the mood to do a muslin for this blouse. It seemed like a lot of work and I didn't want to spend the time on a muslin when I could just dive right in. I figured I could treat this version as a wearable muslin if needed.
This pattern comes with different pattern pieces for different cup sizes. Uh-oh. I know there are some people who do FBA's on every top/dress they make and this would be a huge time saver for them. I've never had the FBA issue to deal with and to be given choices for cup sizes made me freeze with fear. I mean, in terms of cup size, a 36B = 34C = 32D its just the rib cage that is different. I had recently gone bra shopping and was still reeling a little by the size I bought. Eventually I decided to follow the pattern instructions for choosing the cup size and do my measurements of full bust vs high bust. My difference was 2"= B cup. (I haven't worn a B cup since b.c.=before children), but, ok...if the pattern says so...let's cut. I cut a 14 but made the side front pieces a 16 by the sleeve, and also graded the waist and hip seams out to a 16/18. Well, it's done...next time I'll use the C cup pattern. This is what happens when I move my arms back:
Whoops. Not pretty
When I'm standing upright and still, it looks pretty good:
For fabric, I used a "shirting piece" that I bought in India ages ago. It was 2.25m of 36" wide, high quality cotton. It has pink and white stripes with a fine silver thread between every other stripe. I feel like a candy striper when I wear this. I would have preferred to have made long sleeves, but I didn't have enough fabric. The pattern itself is fine although I sewed the button plackets onto the wrong side of the fabric first and then had to topstitch the top down. Not a big deal- it worked out.
I will try this pattern again and I'm confident the next one will be better.
