Built by me: Simplicity 3835

I had cut out the pattern to make view C several months ago but never got down to sewing it. That's certainly not because it's a complicated one! I've used this pattern at least three times before so it was a good way to dust off my sewing machine, which incidentally needed some coaxing before it started working again.

The fabric is a bright cotton-silk blend. I cut out size 4 but used 1/2" seam allowances instead of 5/8". I could just as easily have cut out size 6 and stuck to the 5/8" seam allowance. I used back darts for some shaping and skipped the elastic for the sleeves and neck to give it a more classic look. Besides, I wanted to tweak the pattern a bit to make it a little more challenging!

In lieu of the elastic, I made some pleats on the sleeve caps and gathers around the rest of the neck, and used bias tape to finish it. Initially, I didn't make any neck gathers but it was gaping pretty badly, so I had to incorporate a few.

Quick, easy and a pop of colour to compensate for grey monsoon skies!