Chic Soft Blouse McCalls 6512

It's January 15th and with this project under my belt,  I'm done with 4 of my 8 planned projects for the Patternreview.com Fabric Stash Contest!  Woohoo!  Right on track.

This is McCalls 6512.  It's designed  by Melissa Watson, who is the daughter of Pati Palmer.  Pati Palmer is one of the authors of Fit for Real People, which is a fantastic fitting reference book.  It was a nice surprise when I opened the pattern that it had the directions and markings for making a bust adjustment.  This makes things so much easier!  I cut a 14 at the shoulders, a 16 at the sides, and then did a 1" full bust adjustment.  This added a dart, and lengthened the center front about 1".  I really wanted full length sleeves, and I added some length to the sleeve back and the front yoke/sleeve pieces.

This is another fabric I received in a mystery bundle from Fabric Mart Fabrics.  It's a gorgeous fabric, but not one that I would have chosen on my own.  I believe that it is a silk-cotton which is one of my all time fabric blends.  It's light and luminous, but not sheer.

I chose this pattern because I wanted to try a tie blouse, but I didn't want the tie to be too high on my neck.  This one looked perfect.  Plus it had a neat design with the yoke and sleeve being cut together, which I thought made it look more casual.  I like the idea of dressy fabrics made in a style that you can wear them casually too.

Close up of tie.

I only had 2 yards of the fabric, and it called for 2-5/8, so I ended up taking a lot of time cutting out the pieces individually.  I barely had any scraps left, which is a nice feeling when you know that you're working with what is most likely an expensive fabric.  I would have liked to have placed the paisley better, but this really the only way it was going to fit on my fabric!

Back yoke.

The pattern went together very beautifully, and I've been wearing the blouse already.  It's hard to show in the photos, but the fabric has a lovely luminosity in certain lights.  This picture was about the only one that captured it.

Showing luminosity of fabric.

I like this blouse a lot, and I wouldn't hesitate to make it again.  I've got a few cotton voiles in bright colors that would be pretty for summer.

Have a great Martin Luther King holiday, everyone!  I'm sure I'll be sewing.:)

Ann