The Blouse that was not The One

 Hola todos

Hope everyone is keeping well as much as can be expected in these weird times. I'm going to keep it light still with some ridiculous cat print goodies today.

Full disclosure - I was gifted this fabric from Minerva in exchange for a post on their website which you can read in full here if you fancy. If not - here is the edited highlights.

Apparently a year of being a 'cat mama' has led me down that self-fulfilling path of being the crazy cat lady and I shot straight for this fabric. So kitsch.

I had really wanted to try The Avid Seamstress – The Blouse pattern for a while after seeing some lovely versions online and though this would be a great time to try that out. 

Measurements put me at a Size 6 however I was suspicious from the start as even just looking at the pattern pieces I could tell it was going to be tight - literally.  

I was not wrong. Despite going for a size larger than needed, the reason you are seeing my mannequin MiMi is because it doesn't fit...Me. 

A broad back and biceps were not friends to this pattern and I did feel like the incredible hulk busting out of it when I tried it on. No fault of the pattern - just obviously needs some adjustments for my own shape. That I'm not sure I can be bothered to do as I actually don't think the mandarin collar style suits me either.

The pattern itself is lovely. The packet, photo instructions, sturdy paper and the way it sews all up I would give 10/10. But the sewn pattern for me..... nope. 

My favourite of the features (most of which you can't actually see because of the loud print) are the elasticated sleeves. Love that. I push my sleeves up all the time so I shall definitely be borrowing that for future projects. 

All was not lost however as I had a flash of inspiration and used the Amy Jumpsuit from Closet Core Patterns to create a cami top from the leftovers!

In my opinion this is the world's best keep secret - the facing from that patterns is FANTASTIC for a cami as it has darts and shape (unlike the Ogden which I have recently struggled to make fit in any way that looks half decent.) Let's start an Amy revolution. #teamamy

So another Win/Lose style project this week. Let the experiments continue...

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