Tuesday, January 22, 2013

What a Difference a Day Makes! and 2 New Blouses



LOL!  I have some earth-shaking advice for you today.

Don't try on a new garment when you just got out of bed and you are still in your pajamas! 

The blouse that I hated on Sunday -- which I realize was actually 2 days ago -- is now my new favorite blouse.

Insane, I know.  It is the one where the armhole is cut so low, I could hang my boob out of it!  I used the "Hawaiian" print that I thought wasn't very nice so I used it for my muslin.

Yesterday, I emailed Peggy Sagers about the Grand Canyon armhole, and she emailed me about 5 times back and forth.  It was her usual lecture:

Have you watched the videos?

Watch them again!

Measure an armhole in a garment you like.

Measure the cap of a sleeve you know you like.

There is NOTHING wrong with the pattern.  There is just something wrong with you!  (My loose interpretation.)

I wish she would have just said that Sizes 1 through 4 have small armholes, and the 5W through 8W have big armholes, instead of saying to just pick the finished measurements you want your blouse to be. 

After I decided on Sunday that I hated the Hawaiian print blouse with the GC armhole, I picked out another muslin.  This time, I picked a cotton print that I thought I could wear to the next Cock Fight I don't go to.  They actually have those down here where we live.  I TOLD you I live in the deep woods!  This print looks like a rooster's feathers got caught in a tornado and ended up on this blouse. 

Here are the two blouses side-by-side.  The blue blouse is on me and the rooster feather blouse is on Lucy.  I used a Size 3 with smaller armhole for the rooster blouse.  The armhole is much better, but I don't like the collar.  It could just be that the cotton makes it stand up more than the soft fabric in the blue blouse. 

How amazing is it that this blouses matches my new smaller jeans. 

I had them up here in my sewing room to hem them because they are way too long, and I noticed that they matched this blouse. 

When I put them on together, I suddenly loved the blouse. 

I'm so glad I didn't throw this one away!

The blouse being shorter in the front than in the back is part of the style of the blouse. 











 
Here are the backs.  I have hemmed the rooster blouse several inches shorter.  The soft blue fabric hangs nicer around my hips than the rooster cotton does. 

Obviously, I still have to put the sleeves in the rooster blouse.  The sleeve was never the problem, so I know that will turn out fine.

ANDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD,

I've decided I LIKE long sleeves.  Even in the picture on the left where my wrists are lined up with my hip, the curve in the blouse cuts the line, and I don't mind the look at all.



So maybe I will make some more of my already purchased Silhouette patterns knowing now that the right sleeve is in the SMALL sizes even though I need one of the larger sizes.  Peggy, of course, said to just pick an armhole -- ANY armhole -- and draw it onto the blouse pattern I was already using.  That just didn't make sense to me, so I started over. 

I did draw out a new Sure-fit Designs blueprint yesterday to try to draw this collar onto, but I got sidetracked after all of Peggy's emails.  I am very thankful that Peggy bothers to even answer my emails after all my admonishment to her in earlier emails that her patterns and her book are full of mistakes.  She told me she KNOWS that.  And again, my interpretation of what she said is that she really doesn't care and has no intention of fixing them.  I can't get over that!

Better get the sleeves in the rooster blouse.  I may take these to Tulsa since they are the only two blouses I own with long sleeves.

Hugs, Joy

6 comments:

  1. Looks to me like you have two more very pretty blouses. How lucky that they match the pants you bought.

    Oh, I should also tell you that the people that live in Hawaii don't wear the splashy floral prints that we think of as "Hawaii". Those are for the tourists and tourist areas. Once you get away from Waikiki you see muumuus made of beautiful calicos, dotted Swiss, and ginghams. There will also be lots of ruffles; at the neck, the sleeves and the hems. I loved Fridays because the credit union where I worked allowed us to wear our muumuus. Super comfortable in the heat and humidity.

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  2. Very pretty blouses, Joy. You are amazing the amount of sewing you are able to accomplish. Me, I still can't get those silly pants finished. I am in the process of adding pockets, but life seems to get in the way. Oh well, I know this is where the Lord has me for now and I am content. I know what you mean about the cock fighting, they do that around here. Please! By the way, where do you get your tracing vellum? Have you tried medical exam paper for tracing patterns? I've read blogs that have used both and both are said to be the best. Just curious about your thoughts.
    Have a great day! Blessings to you!
    Tina

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  3. Hi Tina,

    The medical paper is much cheaper, and Phylly and I like it just as well. The vellum is hard to pin together and paper-fit. The medical paper is much better for that.

    Hugs, Joy

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  4. Thank you ma"am. I will get the medical paper.
    Tina

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  5. I ordered a case from Amazon.com and split it with Phylly.

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  6. I remember in one of Peggy's webcasts she said that when they print a pattern they have to order them in a large quantities. I can understand that if she orders 1000 patterns and she has say 500 left she is not going to be able to fix the mistake and order a new pattern batch. Silhouette Patterns is only a small business afterall.

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TO COMMENT: Scroll down a bit and find the word "comments". It may have a number in front of it. Click on it, and you will be able to leave a somment. I realize you have to choose Google, Facebook or Anonymous or ? to post a comment. If you choose "Anonymous", you will be able to post a comment, but please leave your first name in your comment so I know you aren't a machine.

I do enjoy receiving comments, especially, when they are to answer my questions!

Hugs, Joy