McCall’s 8008

Hello everyone! It’s a lovely crisp Autumn day here and I’m actually getting ready for a housewarming party!! We moved in January but have only just been able to arrange it. I’m excited to see everyone, show them the house and eat some good food.

Onto sewing related news and I finally finished my M8008 blouse. If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen I ran out of buttons but Vicky of Sewstainability came to my rescue and posted me more.

This blouse features Bishop sleeves with pintucks, sleeve head ruffles, a half stand collar, half button placket and back yoke. There’s also the option to add lace trim inserts to the front.

I used the most beautiful Lady McElroy fabric called Bloom Explosion. It was sent to me for free in exchange for a blog post and I was paid with additional fabric. You can get hold of some at Sherwood Fabrics.

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It’s the softest viscose challis in brilliant colours. The pops of fuchsia and chartreuse are my favourite. And it washed and pressed nicely during construction.

Viscose is notoriously shifty so my giant cutting table was very handy. I used sharp pins and a fine needle to construct. I’m very pleased with the bottom of the placket given the floaty movement of the fabric.

The pintucks on my sleeves are beautiful but could be straighter though. The grain must have shifted as I marked the stitch lines. I also recommend hand basting everything you need to hold steady before you sew it. Eg the collar facing, the cuffs, etc.

I changed the cuffs to be half their depth. And let out the side seams a little. Other than that this is the size 12 with no alterations. It’s bold, romantic and a bit outside of my comfort zone. And I’m so pleased I made it!