Fitted blouse finished

Well, in my earlier post I said that I was going to use the red polycotton for my blouse, using it as a wearable muslin if it came out well. My first muslin didn't work - I had lowered bust apex fullness too much and this interfered with waist position and shaping and all of the markings. I had great difficulty trying to re-draw the apex to shoulder princess line. It looked very bizarre. When I tried this muslin on for size, I discovered that I had made the bust apex too low. I scrapped the muslin and re-did the front with an apex level only a little lower than in pattern. I learned, too, the importance of a decent bra! I hadn't really previously realised just how much difference there was from one bra to another. I threw out the bra that made me so low!

I was able to take this second muslin to my sewing class and my tutor pinned the back darts deeper and longer, with the apex properly over my waist. I transferred this to my pattern to reproduce in the final fabric.

In the meantime, I decided I wanted to buy new fabric as I felt that it was too much for me to try to match the polka dots on my fabric as well as deal with fit issues and new sewing techniques. I decided on a raspberry pink cotton polyester - largely because of the glorious colour. Unfortunately, I have not been impressed by the quality of this fabric. Another lesson learned (again!) - it takes the same amount of work to sew up good fabric as it does poor - so concentrate on getting decent fabric. In the sewing shop, they said the fabric was suitable for the pattern - but in retrospect, it really wasn't. For a start, it was rather too thick, I think.

I went ahead and cut out my pattern, without any particular issues and started making up the blouse. Unfortunately, my sewing class was cancelled so I couldn't ask my tutor to check the fit or advise me how to put in the set-in sleeves and advise how to get the back darts to lie correctly. I was on my own!

My end result:

It isn't too bad but needs some tweaks - I'll take it to class on Thursday coming for advice. The biggest issue is the back darts which are pulling - I think my tutor had said I might need to cut into them but I was too afraid to do so and wasn't sure how it would help. Once I have that extra advice, too late of course for the Pattern Review Fitted Blouse competition which I have entered with the blouse as it stands, I will be well on the way to making another with a better fit. And better fabric!!

ETA - See PR Review and entry here - sorry, I thought side bar was supposed to show this up but it hasn't.

My mother was ill in hospital and we travelled to visit her (half a day's drive), stay there for a couple of days  and then bring her back to our house for recuperation. She came back with us on Thursday past. Yesterday was Mother's Day in the UK. My mother, who is feeling much better now, commented that with only a slightly thicker fabric, my blouse would make a great jacket. I do have some light/medium weight pale blue denim which I think would look great. My mother thinks my blouse is fabulous - bless her, she has visual problems so can't see the faults. While I was visiting her, I had to go on an errand to Glasgow, where I visited a great fabric store and  bought my next blouse fabric - one a linen look pure cotton pink fabric and the other a blue cotton chambray type material.