The Maze Outfit: Gertie Top (B6217) & Fashion Star Shorts (M6707)

I’m back with a super matchy-matchy make, I call this one The Maze Outfit. This fabric is 3 of my favorite things: 1. black and white 2. stretch sateen 3. was on clearance and bought on a holiday weekend for an additional 50% off at JoAnns. I paid $3.50 a yard for this and I gotta say the quality is great.

Let’s start with the top: Patterns By Gertie: B6217 Misses’ Sweetheart Top and Blouse. I made View A without the boob cover and with Sleeve option B. I tried the tulip sleeves (option A) at first but hated how they looked with this fabric. When I started making this, my measurements were 36-30 1/2-40. According to Butterick’s chart I should have made a size 14 in the bust and graded to a 16 in both the waist and hips. I know to make a muslin with Butterick, thank goodness I did because I ended up making an 8 in the top and graded to 12 in the waist and hips. In the end I even took the sides in about 1/4 inch. Granted the fabric I used has stretch, but for future makes of this top I will be doing the 8-12-12 sizing.

Onto the alterations. The back piece says to cut 2 but I just cut it on the fold, minus the 5/8″ for seam allowance. I didn’t really want a seam running down the back and I had read other reviewer’s suggestion on this. Beware of the arm scythe – it was WAY TOO SMALL. I ended up cutting an extra 1″ to the bottom and could have even done 1/2″ more. I didn’t need to do any adjustments for the sleeve. I’m assuming the arm scythe would be alright if you are making the sleeveless option. (Why do the Big 4 think it’s okay to draft one arm scythe and say it can be used for both sleeved and sleeveless options? This is not the case. I remember having issues with McCalls M7084 because it was drafted for sleeves and when I made the sleeveless version my bra was showing). Lastly, I added 1 inch to the length.

The only other modification I wish I would have made is to have moved the bust darts down about an inch. My bust starts low on my frame and I think the top would sit a lot better if I had thought about this. Other than that I love the french darts, they really add contouring to the shape of the top.

Now onto the shorts. McCall’s Fashion Star M6707 Pants if you recall I made these a long time ago. These are actually meant to be pants or capris but I made shorts instead. I think I’ll make the pants in the future. I LOVE THIS PATTERN! I just checked and it looks like it’s out of print, so you would have to find it on eBay or Etsy.

These shorts make my butt look fantastic! This is the main reason I need to make lots more of this pattern! My measurements for these were waist 31″ and hips 40″ so that put me in a McCalls waist 17 and hips 16. I ended up making a size 14. I can say if I make these in a non-stretch fabric I will be making a size 16. For the length I just measured 6″ down from the crotch. The hem is 1/2″ and I used my new coverstitch machine! I need to blog about this thing soon – it’s AMAZING!

The directions are super easy and these sew up really quickly. The only part I didn’t follow was slip-stitching, because honestly – who does that?! I stitched in the ditch instead. I also didn’t hand sew on the snaps, I used the button foot for that because I’m honestly just lazy. Since the print is so busy, you can’t tell at all.

Overall both patterns are great – just double check your sizing on the top and those darn armholes! My only worry is if this outfit is a bit too busy? Oh well, I’ll wear it anyways!