As promised.

I'm wearing my new Continental Blouse today, and I feel pretty darned cute!  Wearing it with some pants from Anthropologie that I've had for at least 5 years (likely longer) and BC Footwear wedges that I've probably had for just as long.

front

back

blowing a kiss, just to be silly

better view of the shoes

So here are the particulars.  I cut a straight size 10 with no modifications.  I generally take a size 12 to accommodate my wider hips, but this design has plenty of room in the hips, and I didn't want the bust to be too overwhelming.  I'd say this is a good fit without any modifications.

The fabric is a design by Anna Maria Horner.  I wasn't too familiar with her fabrics until the other day, when I (finally) took a trip over to The Needle Shop.  After long deliberation, this is the fabric I chose to come home with.  I think it's such a cheerful print.  Here's a closer look:

I googled it when I got home, and it seems to be a print called "Shattered" from a line she did called "Innocent Crush."  This is a pretty heavy cotton, which is what I wanted for this top, since I want to be able to wear it all winter.

I did two new (to me) techniques on this top.  I finished all the seams with the "Pinked" finish I learned from Sunni's blog.  I really liked this one; it took a fair amount of time, since you're essentially sewing each seam thrice and then trimming away the excess, but it is very neat and doesn't create extra bulk.

The other technique was to use three rows of stitching for the gathering, a la Colette.  This really does create a much more even gather.  I'll be doing it this way from now on!

So what do you think?  If you sew, have you made this top?  Is it on your list?  I'm sure I'll be making at least one more!