Still on my polka dot theme, I whipped up this super bright yellow blouse. It all came together in a rather kismet way. I was trying to think of another polka dot project to share with you this week. Then I found Simplicity 1661 on sale at JoAnn’s and remembered that my great-aunt had given me a couple of yards of yellow polka dot fabric – the perfect fabric for this pattern!
The fabric is a very cheery yellow cotton with evenly sprinkled small black dots. The yellow color is rather bright and polka dots can quickly go saccharine so I decided to do View E with a tie neck and without sleeves. That way I'd have some sweetness from the tie but would not be overwhelmed by sleeves. The cotton was really nice to work with. It ironed nicely and it was so easy to do the hem and pleats.
Simplicity 1661 was very easy to make and it came together quite quickly (no zip and no buttons). I really love the design of this top. The swingy shape is flattering with slim bottoms or shorts and the open vent at the back is a little sexy surprise. The only adjustment I made was to lengthen the curved hem at the back. I added about 5 inches in length to the back hem and really like the result. One other change was that I used on-grain strips for the armhole binding rather than bias strips. I think maybe that made the seams poke out a little bit and it would be more graceful if I had used bias. I can always redo it if I feel inclined.
I’m planning to make View D with a pink striped Japanese cotton I bought at Mood a couple of weekends ago. This was kind of a trial run before I cut into that fabric. I think these will both be great summer tops that can easily be layered for cooler hours of the day.
