PR's Fitted Blouse Contest and my March MAGAM Challenge garment

I know we are halfway through March and this is me just getting around to posting what I plan to do for my garment for March's Make a Garment a Month Challenge. I am doubling this up with PatternReview.com's Fitted Blouse Contest (beginner level).

Requirements for MAGAM:
The garment must be for me - check

My Requirements
The garment must be for me - check
It must fit well - hopefully! I embarked on this sewing journey to get well fitting garments.
It must fill a gap in my wardrobe - check - my target garment are trousers, fitted blouses, fitted jackets and fitted dresses
It preferably uses a pattern and fabric that I already have -check

Requirements for PR.com Fitted Blouse Competition:
"a. The blouse must use shaping through the use of darts, or dart equivalents such as princess seams, gathers, tucks, or pleats, to follow the contours of the body through the bust and waist
b. Closure required (buttons and buttonholes, loop buttons, zippers, hook and eye, tie, frogs, etc.) Because the blouse is fitted, it can't be a pullover.
c. Collar required
d. Fabric - Woven or Stretch Woven only. Knits are not allowed. Can be a print or a solid - any color.
e. Set - In Sleeves required - Either short or long. Raglan/Dolman/Cut on sleeves not allowed.
f. Wrap-type blouses with tie closures ARE allowed.
The gallery entry must be a photograph of the fitted blouse on a person since the judging criteria includes 'best fit'. Photos of the fitted blouse on a dressform, hangar or lying flat will cause entry to be disqualified. Photos MAY crop the head out of photo, if desired for privacy issues"

I looked at quite a few patterns. Two New Look patterns - the first was 6078, which is a blouse with a Peter Pan collar and a couple of sleeve and front variations. Buttons up to the neck. The sleeve caps are slightly puffed and this put me off as I don't like this look on me. The second was 6407, which I really liked. It used bust and waist darts to contour. A couple of sleeve variations. I don't know what to call the neckline but essentially a V neck was created. There were a couple of collar variations. Eventually, however, I decided on the Simplicity 2151. There were a number of reasons for this - it's an Amazing Fit pattern, so hopefully no need to do a FBA; shaping is by use of princess seams, giving quite a bit of fitting flexibility and lastly, I thought the style would suit my lifestyle better and suit the material I already had.

Here, I've shown the pattern with 2 lots of fabric - red and also cream with a small black polka dot. The first of my original fabric choices, a pale blue light weight denim, was too heavy for a blouse (will make a great heavier weight blouse/jacket in due course). My second choice was a lovely fabric with a slight peachskin feel and a self pattern; I feared it might be more difficult to sew and my class tutor advised me that it would show up the fitted features well.

I have adjusted the pattern pieces. After deliberation, I chose the 'C' cup front. I had to drop the bust fullness by 2.75 inches and lengthen the pattern at the lengthen/shorten point by about the same. I had some difficulty dropping but point as it then sat in waist area! So, I lengthened the waist first. I decided against lengthening the pattern any further. As has happened previously when I've dropped the bust fullness on a princess seam, following Palmer Pletsch instructions (I did the same with my 'Little White Dress'), I found it very difficult to redraw and true the seam on the side panel from bust level to shoulder as my alteration quite simply looks very different - perhaps because I've had to make such a big adjustment. I haven't seen anywhere, however, suggesting that there is a maximum size for this adjustment.

I prepared both the red and the polka dot fabric. as time is now so short, I decided that I would make up in the red fabric, a cotton blend, as this was not an expensive fabric. If it turns out well, I have a wearable blouse, and if it doesn't, then it becomes the muslin for my final garment.

I've cut the pattern out of the red fabric, so hopefully I'll get to start sewing it together tonight. I should have enough time, provided there are no disasters on the way! I'm doing view C, by the way - it has a slightly more military look and I haven't decided yet whether to do the epaulettes.

 

 

 

Happy sewing!

Anne