Completed Project: Thinking Pink Blouse

I made a label for inside the blouse with the breast cancer awareness ribbon embroidered on. Now I want to make unique labels for all of my me-made garments!

I somehow managed to finish my Thinking Pink Blouse for the PR Think Pink contest. I'm mostly pleased with it, although I recognize some things I'll have to fix next time I make this blouse.

The pattern is Simplicity 2339, from their Amazing Fit line. It handily comes with cup sizes A, B, C, and D, so you can skip the bust adjustment! I cut a cup size D, grading the pattern from size 16 at the shoulders, 18 at the bust, 20 at the waist, and 22 at the hips. There's not a lot of ease at the hips, so beware.

I love the colour of this fabric. It's a lovely pink cotton-poly chambray that I found at Mitchells Fabrics last weekend, at a decent price of $3.50/m. Bought the last 2 m of it, too. I have a hard time pulling off pink since I'm so pale and have pink undertones to my skin, but I think this is a good shade for me.

The only thing I don't like about this blouse is the sleeves. I hate putting in sleeves, and this is another example of why. My easing didn't go so well this time, and it's a bit crinkly at the front of the seam. I also forgot (again) to remove 1/2 inch of fabric from the upper shoulder to accommodate for my narrower shoulders. Finally, I added some width to the upper arm and graded back to the original seam by the elbow. This was done because it looked like the sleeve was too tight when I first tried it out. I don't think I should've added so much width, and maybe I should've taken some out of the arm at and below the elbow. For now though, I'm going to leave it for at least one run through the wash. I find my sleeves generally settle down once they do.

I like my button choice, and the top-stitching in white along the cuffs and down the placket really adds a more professional look to the garment.

I'm awfully proud of how the collar turned out. The instructions were a little difficult to follow, but by paying close attention to them and the accompanying illustrations, it went in really well.

If you have time and are a member, come on down and vote for your favourite Think Pink entry. Don't worry, you don't have to vote for me! There's some great entries over there!