Blouses

I have sewn quite a number of things since my sewing machine took me hostage and I was hoping to post a full fashion show for you, but the pictures I took yesterday afternoon were beyond awful. Honestly, I need a dress form* simply for picture taking purposes. So the semi-decent pictures I took last week will have to do.

*I found some instructions for making a duct tape dress form. For some reason, Len is leery of wrapping me in tape. I ask you, who wouldn't jump at the chance to wrap their beloved in duct tape? I'm totally into it, he thinks I've lost my mind.

First, a blouse desperately in need of an iron:

Plain vanilla linen blouse. But I have 2.5 words for you: set-in sleeves (-in counts as half a word).

Nice, eh? The instructions were so bizarre (gather? are you kidding?), but I think it helped that I've set in sleeves in knitting, I understood the concept, even if I've never done it well.

I got the buttons a very long time ago. They add a little oomph to what is otherwise a very plain blouse.

Amy Butler's Lotus Cami. In Michael Miller Ginger Blossom Bouquet (and Vintage Dots trim).

The underarm is too tight. I suspected as much, but now that I am spending a day in it, I know it is true. I will look at the construction tonight and see if I can figure out how to deal with it, since it is very uncomfortable. Otherwise the fit is perfect, and flattering.

I got these buttons at the same time as the ones I used for the previous blouse.

By the way, my crappy sewing machine does not like to make buttonholes. I make test runs on scrap fabric, which go fine, but when it comes to the real deal, it is all swearing, gnashing of teeth and chewed up fabric. Not fun at all. Until the machine and I have a parting of ways, I think I will go with a less automatic version.