Oscar goes casual

Well, this blouse got the thumbs down in my house, which was a little bit crushing, because I thought it looked good and had it on ready to wear somewhere when the comments came. Peter thought it was all a bit scrappy (I was thinking creative) and my youngest kept telling me that he could see my belly button. I guess his eye-line is at belly button height. Anyway, it was just made out of scraps...I am still deliberating whether to make the pattern up in a silk / cotton fabric I have stashed.

The pattern is Vogue 2946. I probably don't need to provide a picture, I just need to say that it is the Oscar de la Renta blouse with ruffles and a ridiculously low, scooped neckline or a great big bow stuck on the front. And still, I bought it. Let me add that there is no shaping in the side seams and no darts anywhere (although front panel is gathered), which means fabric choice is crucial. I used the left-over marle knit from my previous post and a sheer, silk scrap left-over from a blouse that I made for my Mother. I only had one layer of ruffles and I didn't hem them. I ditched french seams for my overlocker and used knit techniques to bind the neckline and armholes.

I started with a Sz 12, but instead of a narrow chest adjustment, I graded to a Sz 6 through the front armhole. Now, my bust point sits a little high, but I swear that two-thirds of my breast tissue was exposed, so I took up the front and back shoulders 4 cm each and lowered the armholes. Next time I will start with a Sz 6. Let me add that I have never, not-ever, come close to a Sz 6. In my late teens, when I recall being a mere 52 kg, I used to cut out a Sz 10. I would propose that anybody with a small enough bust to not need darting is not going to want a scoop that low. And still, I bought it. I guess I just liked the ruffles, which is not really a good enough reason to buy a pattern given all the articles I have that describe how to make circular ruffles.