Its done, and I can't say I am sorry.....thankfully being tenacious sometimes pays off!

Can I just say again how much I love this Dolce and Gabbana from Tessuti Fabric , its beautiful and the most forgiving silk I have used in a long time. It took a beating and there is not a mark on it.

There are some issues that I think are a pattern problem...

The overhang on the hem line is more apparent on the dress form but it is noticable when I wore it, the pattern piece is cut on a straight line and it should really be tapered to reduce the amount of fabric. I'm assuming it was left to add to the flowing folds on the blouse but it causes the bust area to gape as its not pulled close enough to the body even with the buttons as tight as I could make them on the waistband.

Its also way to short, everytime I moved my arms, my stomach appeared. It sits at the top of my natural waist and at 5' 7" I don't normally have a problem with length.

The sleeves are my favorite part, they are so pretty.

and the buttons were a perfect find from Michaels Fabrics . It was very handy being in Washington at the weekend, as Baltimore was on the way home. There was no way I could not run in to see what they had!

Again no fit issues with the standard pattern, other than my own inane attempts to lengthen it.

IN SUMMARY

I don't think I would recommend this pattern, its a super tough sew because the construction is so open to interpretation. My collar suffered becuase of this, and there was some major reverse stitching.

It fiited beautifully as Marfys all seem to, the back and shoulders are very comfortable but seems to be designed to have no ease at all. I found I kept pulling it down when I took pictures and felt that the gaping at the bust line should not be happening especially when it took this long to make and I fitted it continuously through out.

If I am honest I might make this again, just to try and solve the length issue and get both sides of the collar sitting correctly. I love the design and was pleasantly surprised by how feminine it is (but not in a girly way) but would like to try a completely different fabric to see if that could solve some of my issues.

Audio book for the week was Where'd you go Bernadette by Maria Semple. I almost turned it off a few times at the beginning but it turned into a really funny, well written book.

Music - Jacob Dylan and a lot of Sirus Alt Nation.

Best book of the year so far...Ann Leary The Good House. I would have known in a second that she lived in Connecticut. Totally nailed it in a beautifully just can't stop reading book. How I would love to be invited to dinner at their house, can you imagine? awesome!

NEW PROJECT

Simple with instructions are my only wants this week and so this seems perfect.