cautiously optimistic: completed McCall's 6926

Okay! This is a UFO from last year, originally planned for MPB Day but bailed on at the last minute in favor of New Look 5352. Let's see if I can remember how it went together.

McCall's 6926 is one of those wacky patterns where you have two choices: 1) the very easy t-shirt with three pattern pieces, or 2) the very complicated woven blouse with three types of fabric and a lining and a split back yoke and narrow hems everywhere.

Guess which one I picked?

I made view B. I wanted the lace but wasn't a fan of the scalloped edge.

(Reminds me of this Kathryn Brenne pattern I'm thinking about making up. The skirt has three, THREE, pattern pieces, and you could probably knock it together in an afternoon. The pants have eleventy squabillion pieces and ten thousand steps. Of course I want the pants. OF COURSE.)

So anyway, 6926 went together pretty easily. I used silk from Liberty acquired on a trip to London a few years ago and lace from Winmil Fabrics in Boston. I lined the bottom with a remnant of white silk. 

Can I tell you how much I love the silk?

This is what happened: I was standing in line at Liberty with a bolt of black-and-purple cotton poplin, and one of the salesclerks was in a simple shift dress made out of the silk. Pretty sure my jaw dropped. The cashier looked at what I had in my hand and said, "I think you need something a little more special, don't you?" And that's how I wound up with a meter and a half of this lovely stuff.

(Tip from the Liberty clerk: If you want an expensive print, buy it...but buy less and do the facings, etc. in a solid. "That's what we do!")

For the pattern, I made a couple of changes:

• Didn't do the elasticized lower edge. A beer belly like mine should not be outlined with elastic. Instead, I took it to my tailor to have it hemmed. (Sorry/not sorry -- I didn't want to risk ruining the Liberty fabric.)
• Sewed the sleeves in flat. MY FAULT. I looked at it and went, "Meh, those are cap sleeves, whatever," and ignored the very specific McCall's instructions about fitting and easing them. They're...okay? But I really should have followed the instructions.

The nice thing about this pattern, though, is that when the lace finally gives out, it'll be easy enough to unpick -- especially because the fashion fabric and lining are hemmed separately -- and attach a new lace yoke. 

The back has a split yoke, a button and thread loop. Not a fan of the thread loop, which keeps breaking, so I might replace it with Did You Make That's rouleau loop instead.

One last note: As I'm finally jumping on the lace-yoke bandwagon, I'm wondering if Vogue 8877 would have been a better choice. It sure would have been easier. 

Thanks for reading!