That's Sew Shawn: Finished something!

At last! Finally managed to focus long enough to finish something - but it wasn't easy!

I started cutting out Butterick 5711 (view B - with the short gathered sleeves) early this week

I thought it was a cute pattern that would make some great summer/spring tops and was looking forward to it all coming together. I did some quick measurements of the pattern pieces and it looked like it would be a good fit so I cut a 20 in a shoulders and a 22 through the rest of the body and didn't do a muslin.

In all honesty it did go together rather easily but it had it's frustrating moments. One was my mistake of just sewing in the waist 'tucks' without checking first. the end, which are supposed to end under the bust actually ended at my apex. This, of course, made it too tight across the bust line. And the tucks in the back...

Yeah - they did nothing for me. Maybe it was just the drape of my fabric was too stiff, but I looked like I had a bustle at my bum and a hump on my back. So I ripped both of those out, left the back tucks off and moved the front tucks down by an inch and a half.

I, of course, had my usual frustrations with attaching a collar, but I have to say, the instructions on this pattern were great. The description of how to do the 'self facing' for the button stand on the front were amazing. I've never had it explained so good and it went together perfectly.

My biggest beef with this pattern? the sleeve cuffs. I don't think I have usually large arms. At least not for my size. I have no problem with ready to wear clothes fitting me there. I cut the sleeve cuffs from a size 22, only did a 1/4 inch seam and they are STILL too tight!

(PS the fit at the back was me not pulling the shirt down when taking the photo - not a fault of the pattern)

The only other slight annoyance. The photo of the pattern shows the shirt unbuttoned at the top button -which is how I would want to wear it. But, because the fronts only have a narrow, self facing, if the shirt flaps open (which it does) it shows the inside - which on my fabric, isn't pretty.