Make a Garment a Month Challenge

Joining the MAGAM challenge, created and curated by SarahLiz, is with the hope of doing more sewing for myself.  The aim of the challenge is to create a garment for you each month within a theme.  The theme is broad enough that it can be adapted to personal needs, ideas or desires.  January’s theme was “Just Try Something New” very easy isn’t it?

Image from McCalls website.

I decided that I need shirts, or is it blouses? So using a pattern long in the stash but new to me that I love the look of, I made a blouse.  McCalls 6286 has always attracted me – the raglan sleeves and the wider collar framing the face would perhaps flatter my short neck.  I paired it with a mystery fabric from the huge Trademe fabric haul a few years back. 

 

Image from http://sewing.patternreview.com/Patterns/44600

Burn tests (thanks Chris for the help and link) show that it is probably cotton with maybe some rayon.  It burns to a dark powder that smells faintly of burning paper but also has a finish that leaves a slightly oily residue.  It feels and looks more like silk shantung with a shine and texture running through it. It is very nice to the touch and against the skin. 

I like that the pattern has the Finished Garment Measurements on the envelope back and I decided to make a size 20 with a finished bust of 46 1/2” grading out to 22 at the hips with a finished width at the lower edge of 50 1/2”.  This ultimately proved to be a little close fitting at the bust and measurement of a blouse in the cupboard shows that I am more comfortable with a bust measurement of 50”. This I should have done before making DUH!

Making up the blouse was straight forward until the collar; reviews of the blouse mentioned the difficulty with iron on interfacing so I cut out these in silk organza.  This was a great decision and worked a treat until I tried topstitching the collar.  I found the way the collar is assembled and the front facing attachment a little perplexing and made a bit of a botch which was fixed by hand sewing the exposed seam down.  One side of the collar and lapel lies flat against the body and looks good; sadly I cannot say the same about the other.  It wants to flip over and stands proud, I think it is a grain issue forced when I decided to top stitch (pattern does not topstitch) any suggestions on how to fix this for next time would be gratefully received.

Trying on the blouse shows that it fits well across the back with the darts in place, the side seams are straight but the CF pulls which indicates not enough fabric to cover the girls.  My question is, should I go up a size for the bust (22) or do a FBA?  I am little intimidated by the double darts regarding a FBA and would love to have some feedback about what I should do. 

I will definitely be making this pattern up again and in the same fabric.