There's a Reason I Don't Cook Much

I don't cook much because I just don't care for it. I'm not very good at it- probably because I don't do it often enough, and I especially hate cleaning up afterwards. I also tend to hurt myself.

Yes, I burned myself on the upper oven rack when I reached in to remove a tray of french fries from the bottom rack. Ouch.

On the other hand, don't I look good in my new top made from McCalls 5522? I'm looking so sharp no one will even notice that little 'ole burn on my wrist.

Here's the scoop:

I made a muslin of this top months (maybe even a year) ago. I tried it out because it was so similar to Butterick 4985, which I had tried and not been 100% pleased with. I still loved the look, and I thought I'd give the McCalls pattern a go because of the multi bust cup sizing- no FBA!!! The muslin fit great! So why did I let it languish so long before making it up for real? I don't know. Maybe because I have the attention span of a gnat and I got distracted by other projects? Or maybe because I had selected slippery poly satin for my fabric and I was too lazy/chicken to work with it? Maybe both?

Well, last week I decided it was time. I pulled out my fabric- this lovely blue leopard print poly satin (that sounds so tacky, and maybe it is, but I love it!) and the pattern pieces. Thank goodness I found them all together because I'd never put them back in the envelope after making the muslin! Shame on me!

Anywho. I was going to share details, right? I made view B, cutting a 14 through the shoulders (and the sleeve cuffs) and a 16 from the underarm down, using the D cup pieces. I usually morph to an 18 at the hip, but this top is a little short, in my opinion, and the size 16 muslin fit fine, so I decided not to worry about a wider hip. When I make it again, I may add an inch of length through the waist and I'll have to decide then whether to go wider at the bottom. The bottom half of the blouse is princess seamed, so it shouldn't be a big deal to add a little extra room at the hem.

I followed the instructions pretty much to a T except for the bust ruffles. The pattern indicated a 5/8" hem on the outer edges of the ruffles. I did a 1/8" narrow hem (On satin! I am so tickled with myself!) I just thought it would look nicer and give the ruffles a more RTW finish.

I went back and forth on the ruffles. When I first tried the top on (before the sleeves were attached) I got a bad "70's baby blue tuxedo" vibe. But after the top was finished, I decided I really like the ruffles.

The satin, an inexpensive find at Hancock Fabrics, was surprisingly easy to work with. I expected a real fight, but all I got was a need for a few extra pins. I worried about pin marks and marks left from gathering threads, but no problems there either. (Just to be safe, I tried to only pin in the seam allowances whenever possible- just in case.)

I'm so pleased with the finished top and the experience of making it that I've pulled out two other poly satins from stash: a purple stylised "zebra stripe", and an aqua "dot" print. Oh, and I have a solid apple green, too! I haven't chosen patterns for them yet. I want to try something a little different. But I will definitely make M5522 again! I love it! If you have it and haven't made it yet, go for it!