Eyelet Shirt and Contest Entry

I've been a busy little sewing bee recently trying to get everything done for sew alongs, the Pantone Color Contest (don't forget to vote!), and testing a pattern for Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop.  Add to those things that my machine DIED on me while I was altering the purple pants. Booooo!  I had to borrow my mom's machine so I can finish everything up.  All that's left now is a hem and a buttonhole for the pattern test and I can give it back and try to fix my own.

Now that I'm done moaning, I proudly present my latest project, the yellow eyelet shirt.

The color in this picture is not true to life.  The pictures further down are much more accurate.  It's a vibrant, bold yellow.  I chose my pattern (McCall's 5138, view B) because I thought the sleeves went really well with the eyelet fabric.  I followed the pattern pretty closely, only making my usual fitting changes.  With the weight loss I feel like I am relearning my body.  Patterns fit me a bit differently now and I have to remember I can't just do my standard pattern alterations before I cut anymore.  I shortened the waist front and back (I usually just do the back and taper out to a normal front), reduced the shoulder height, added length at the hem, and narrowed the shoulder.  I wish I hadn't shortened the shoulders, as it threw off my bust point just a bit.  I usually need to shorten to shoulder to bring the bust point up to where it's supposed to be.

Imagine if I hadn't  shortened the back waist!  Sheesh!

The only other change to the pattern was adding a lining so I don't need to wear a t-shirt under my eyelet blouse.  I also added the lining to cut down on seeing the facing through the front.  The fabrics I used are at JoAnn's  here and here.  Buttons here.

There wasn't really anything noteworthy about the construction except that I had to watch out how much the knit lining was stretching.  It was a simple and fast sew.

When I was deciding what to make for the contest I decided to hop on the color block trend and hope it would take me somewhere I like.  Go big or go home, right?  I had originally hoped the Jaded Stripes shirt would fit the Pantone colors because it's my favorite combo with the pants.  Alas, it is too blue.

The contest manager was very kind to let me and others know whether or not our colors fit in.  She added the Pantone color dots to my picture of possible fabrics.

I like the combo of the yellow with the purple.  The yellow is so bright and happy, which I love.  The purple is nothing less than my favorite color in the whole world.  I'm glad I get to wear them as pants rather than having them up on the window as curtains like I had originally planned.

So there's my contest entry picture.  Voting is opens May 3-9, so head on over, see what you like and vote for it.  I'm kind of partial to mine. ;)