McCalls 5929

This pattern kept popping up on PR and in blogland, and I've been wanting to sew it for some time. I'm hoping to catch the tail end of the ruffles trend...

The pattern is McCalls 5929, alas now OOP. I think I love everything about it. Cute ruffles, puffed sleeves, shaped front bands - everything!

Alterations I made were mostly for fit. I made view A, but with only one ruffle. I mostly cut a size 10, but I think (I traced and altered this during the crazy week before we moved) I blended out to a 12 in the back shoulder and below the waist. I did a 1 1/2 inch FBA, but took out the added fullness below the bust by including it in the waist contour dart. I also added 1/2 inch to the arm band as the reviews on PR mentioned that it was snug. This isn't an alteration I generally have to do, so if you are making this up, be sure to check and make sure the band is a comfortable size.

The fabric is a pink and white seersucker from Fabric Mart, which is apparently from Calvin Klein. I feel so posh! It was lovely to sew, and it feels very nice to wear. I had plenty left to cut out a matching ruffled blouse for Myra. I think she'll like it.

I used pink pearl snaps as closures rather than buttons. I love the way they look. I also really adore the neckline on this blouse. The front bands angle out above the top snap to form a vee neck. Since I never fully button a button up blouse, I think this neckline looks much cleaner than the typical straight band that flops around when unbuttoned.

The fit is reasonably good. I seem to have been a bit aggressive with the FBA again. I wonder if that has more to do with the fluctuations of nursing than actual fit. It isn't a problem I generally have.

I'm thrilled with the fit in the back! I generally have some pulling across my broad shoulders, but between cutting the shoulders in the larger size and the generous puff of the sleeve, it feels great! It looks like I should have pressed my darts a little better though.

And the final verdict? I think I love it! I can already tell it's going to get a lot of wear. It's great with the white jeans for schlepping kids to gymnastics while still feeling cute, but it'll dress up nicely for church with a black pencil skirt and a skinny belt.