Satan’s Pattern from Hell

Otherwise known as the purple cross over blouse.

Really, the signs were all there, but I didn’t listen to the universe, and so I was punished. The pattern was a generous freebie, the design was one that appealed to me, and the fabric was unusual. And so I descended on my path to hell.

First tracing off the pattern. Not a task to be attempted with a light heart.

After reading the magazine from front to back, I still don’t know if seam allowances are included. Luckily is doesn’t seem to have made any difference. The fabric is an unusual piece, which I picked up at a garage sale. It was only 90cm wide, which created a challenge in layout. It behaves like cotton, but has a micro-crepe like texture. It doesn’t seem like it crushes, so that is a good thing. Reading the instructions was like trying to follow a frog on speed. It hopped from one aspect of the shirt to another, often with no discernible reason why, and in one instance, actually had to be followed backwards. Boy …. that was fun. I had to alter slightly at the underarms, because while my girls are lush, my chest wall isn’t deep, so I ended up with an excess of fabric under the arms. I might possibly hate the sleeves …. we shall see.

Overall its a lovely design, but the journey to get there took an eternity, and involved an excessive amount of unpicking. I probably won’t make it again, but it does tell me that a cross over design is good for me.