FFFO: Stripy Seersucker Blouse (& MMM Update)

Well, here it is at last! I started this blouse over a year ago--maybe even two, I can't even remember. It's a perfect example of why my sewing moves slowly!

Forehead apparently less important than pasty ankles

The pattern is Simplicity 2501, view C:

While I love the peplum, that collar and those sleeves are just plain silly. So I forged my own path there. But the biggest effort went toward pattern matching. I had a vision of chevrons, chevrons everywhere! Of course, my vision conveniently excluded the entire weekend it would take to match all those stripes. But it was worth it:

Perfectly matched in front

And in back

The seersucker was kinda sheer, so I underlined the entire blouse with a poly-cotton batiste to avoid the stripes showing through. Sadly, that'll keep me from wearing it on hot days this summer. :(

For the collar, I drafted (if you can even call it that) a simple convertible collar. Taking a cue from Gertie, I made it 2" wide. If I had it to do over again, I would go for 3" to help it lie flatter.

For the sleeves, I gave a go at replacing the pleats called for in the pattern with simple gathering and added cuffs to contain the gathers. It worked, but the sleeves are very poofy. Next time, I'll just use a different sleeve pattern.

This is a fun shirt to wear, and I'm really glad I finally finished it. But let's not forget the most important lesson here: If you ever want to finish your project, don't incorporate a half dozen techniques you've never done before!

MMM Update:
For the past couple weeks, I've pretty much just been rotating outfits that I already posted, so I haven't bothered taking pics. Here's one outfit that I'm pretty sure is new:

I went the sporty route because of all the housework I had going on. Over the next couple days, I'll be posting more outfits that involve as-yet-unblogged creations!