Stash Busting Project Number 1 - Grey Print Blouse

 My wardrobe needs a few more casual blouses. Shirts and blouses that can be worn with pants or skirts without needing a jacket are indispensable to my lifestyle. I mix and match these items endlessly dressing up and down as the situations change.

Here's a stash piece that is going to become a long sleeved blouse. This is an impulse buy from a remnants bin. I fell in love with the print and knew that this store has high quality fabric mixed in with lots of lower priced yard goods. The fabric felt nice, tightly woven and very crisp. But was it really good quality? I needed to be sure as I have been disappointed many times by the lack of transparent labeling of yard goods in Europe. Luckily, I was able to find the manufacturer's name on other items in the store and by the look and feel of those items, I was willing to guess that this piece was good quality but was from last season. The price was certainly within my budget and if it didn't wash well, I could always make a couple of grocery sacks out of the fabric. I bought it and stashed it.

I made McCall's 2094, View A from this piece. McCall's 2094 is currently out of print on the McCall's website. I think I bought this pattern around 2009-2010.  I love this pattern. It's a simple blouse with four sleeve options. It has plenty of darting to help with fit and the collar is simple and well done. From cutting to finishing, the blouse took just a couple of days to sew. I've made versions of this pattern at least five times and I'm always pleased with the results.

Garment Finish: This crisp, firm cotton was easy to work with and pressed like a dream. I serged the seam finishes to keep the project moving along quickly.  Grade: A-
Fit: This pattern has always been a favorite. I did a small FBA for this blouse, but I probably should admit my weaknesses harder and do a bit more adjustment in this area. Grade B+
Material Choice: A good quality printed cotton. It was an easy choice and gave excellent results. A+
Style and Wearability: Classic shirt styling along with simple details make this a wardrobe staple. It's already been through the laundry bin twice this month. I wore it with jeans on Saturday and earlier this month it went to lunch with a pencil skirt and sweater. Grade: A+
Overall: A

The photos are another problem. I'm definitely not pleased with these. My excuses are that it's January in Belgium and there is no day light. There really are no excuses. I should invest as much time in the photos as I do with the sewing.  I hope that spring is coming soon.