CHEAP ASS MOOD FABRIC

Cidell loaned me a couple of issues of BWOF (before she gave me a subscription for my birthday and got me well and truly hooked) and one of the projects that really caught my eye was this blouse, from the 6/2007 edition, #127. It's even a petite, so I didn't have to adjust anything. It didn't grab me at all from the photo, but the line drawing showed its true potential. I didn't see it as a short sleeve blouse (as designed) with that high necked collar. Then I got the idea for a long cuff to go with the Edwardian kind of collar. Here's the photo gallery.

My main challenge with this project was the fabric, or, as I kept referring to it when on the phone with Cidell, the CHEAP ASS MOOD FABRIC (and yes, I was shouting). This was part of my PR Weekend haul. We were looking in the cotton shirtings section and I found this gorgeous polished cotton gray with tiny pinstripes and had to have it. It was $12/yd, which seems an awful lot for cotton shirting in life (though not at Mood), and there was only a little over a yard left. I was so excited to work with it. I was pressing the first seam, admiring the beautiful sheen of my "polished cotton" when it began to melt under the iron. AAAAARGH! That is so sucky! Mood totally screwed me over, selling me some cheap-ass melty fabric for $12/yd by putting it in with the cotton shirtings.

I was really stretching to fit the pattern onto the fabric. There was a little less than a yard, and the exposed edge had been swatched mercilessly, taking away even more length. When I was done, all I had was a minuscule pile of tiny scraps. I read The Good Earth in junior high and all these years only one scene has stuck with me. The protagonist goes to meet his first wife and at that time he was a humble farmer. He said all he wanted was a woman who could make a kimono so efficiently that you could hold the scraps in your hand. (Figures I'd remember the sewing scene!) This project came pretty close.

Because I did not have enough fabric to recut the left center front panel the gathered part of the left bodice is hard and rough and melted. Ugh. It put me in a really bad mood for the rest of the project because it was ruined from the very start. And although I knew it would *look* great at the end, *I* would always know that it was poor quality because of the CHEAP ASS MOOD FABRIC, and I really hate putting a lot of work into poor quality materials. I considered abandoning the project, but I refused to be defeated by Mood and its CHEAP ASS FABRIC.

In the end, the project does look great. But I did some stupid things because I was just so mad and distracted, like forgetting to interface the plackets (which I think qualifies as What's slapdash about this project). The lower placket turns under and shows my belly so I have to unpick the stitching and interface it (with a very cool iron) and then stitch it back up. I haven't done this yet. Maybe when I'm giving a sewing lesson on Saturday I can wield the seam ripper. I also need to shorten a few of the button loops because there are a couple that are a tad too long and don't stay buttoned. But I love the look of them and also the totally awesome Dior buttons that came in one of Cidell's 4 lb bags of buttons from Fabric Mart. It's a couture blouse! Made out of CHEAP ASS MOOD FABRIC.