• Works in Progress

Since I recently discovered The Monthly Stitch, a sewing collective that hosts monthly challenges, I wanted to try participating in one of their challenges. This month’s theme is “Sewing Double”, a challenge to revisit a pattern we’d sewn once before and make a second garment from it.

I was so pleased with how my dress for the Mad Men Challenge came out that I wanted to make the pattern, Vogue 2538, a second time. I shortened the pattern to make a blouse because I need more casual clothing.

This summery top is made from an old men’s button-front shirt. I liked the fabric because  it has narrow pink, blue, and brown stripes among the gray and white.

Inspired by the pastel colors, I had been planning to do happy ice cream-themed photos, but I’m expressing my disappointment through the ice cream instead. I’m just not satisfied with this top!

Problem is, the colorful stripes are way too subtle. If you’re more than a foot away, the pattern chills to just a boring gray palette.

I’ve tried to spice it up with pale pink bias strips across the front and at the hem. However, the pink has also mellowed to plain vanilla against the blouse. Does this top have some kind of grayscale curse?

I’m not willing to give up on it though. It just needs some color!

I have some pink ultrasuede and I was thinking about adding strips that it peek out from under the bias strips at the chest and hem. Here, I’ve tried holding one up to get an idea how it would look and I need your opinion:

Do you prefer a scalloped or straight edge?

Or do you have an even better idea for what I could do to fix this blouse up? I’d love to hear them in the comments below because I really want to make this work!