Only An Afternoon

Although I'm a slow sewer, I made Jennifer Lauren's The Afternoon Blouse and hemmed Silhouette 3600 pants in one afternoon. This blouse is quick to make and that includes putting together the PDF pattern and tracing it. I decided to make this blouse after seeing the version made by Shanni. I originally planned the blouse as a muslin, hopefully wearable. I did wear it for a dinner out with family but I know that I won't wear it often. It definitely needs some fitting work. The jury is still out on the wearable part.

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I was surprised at how easy the pattern is to tape together. The sewing is simple for the most part. The front seam and neckline is a bit fiddly, but not hard to do. I did have to topstitch to keep the facing down around the neck and front.

The major problem for me is the bust fitting. I'll have to think about how to fix it, but I definitely need more room. This problem is more obvious in the side view. There is a gap on one side of the neckline. Also, there is a little jag where the circle design connects to the center seam (hard to see, but I know it is there). I don't like the way the sides poke out at the bottom (an easy one to fix). The back needs a slight sway back adjustment (normal for me).

I've finished with the blouse for now, but I haven't given up on the pattern. I would like to make in a lighter weight, solid color fabric. I may use this blouse as a muslin for fitting so that I don't have to make another one. That would make it no longer wearable, but I probably won't wear it much anyway. That's an issue for another day.

The Pants

Silhouette 3600 is a new pants pattern for me. I love it! I had Peggy Sagers fit the muslin at her Atlanta Workshop in March. Peggy was sick the last day so she didn't see the pants made in fabric. After looking at the pictures, I think that I will take in the side seam 1/2 to 1 inch. There also some twisting going on in one of the legs. I'll have to check it. It may be my quick hemming job or it may be cut off grain (in which case the pants will become capris or shorts).

The contour waistband is so comfortable that I could wear it to bed. It is easy to sew. Since I was sewing with one hand at the time, the topstitching is little off in places. It's good enough for me and not a fault of the pattern design. If anyone looks at it that closely, they had better be interested in sewing.