grey gathers blouse

here's a blouse i made recently using pattern #21 in this japanese pattern book with some pretty cotton fabric i picked up on clearance.

this was my second time using this pattern (first version here).  for this one i decided to dress it up by adding buttons and rows of lace to the front yoke (although, in retrospect, i think this made it look a bit like a pajama top).   i added 8 inches to the sleeve length and made a wide (3") hem for cuffs.   like lots of japanese tops, this was supposed to be pretty long...  to curb shapelessness i opted not to add the indicated allowance and finished the bottom with a 2" hem.



to make the button-up yoke, i added 1 3/4" to center front (for a 1" overlap).  here's the original pattern piece on top of the adjusted one:



a roll of half-inch masking tape came in handy for perfectly spacing the rows of lace.