Not-Quite-A-Taffy Top

Don't you like how Gollum's arm is waving creepily behind my shoulder?

I've mentioned before that when you've descended into sewing madness, words like "jasmine" and "rooibos" no longer refer to types of teas; they're obviously Colette patterns. Well, this Taffy-ish blouse falls into that category, especially since real taffy is sticky, and this Taffy knock-off was made with could-stand-to-be-a-lot-stickier chiffon fabric. Seriously, trying to line up chiffon on grain is a nightmare. What I found helpful, though, was laying out fabric on my living room rug. The chiffon doesn't shift nearly as much, thanks to the friction provided by the rug, and when cutting, the shears just slide underneath the fabric, in between the carpet fibers. And I even managed not to cut up my rug in the process!

This is so fabulously 90s; there aren't even words. Also, it is
impossible to find this pattern on PR, and it's not old enough to
be on the vintage pattern wiki yet.
I had to steal this image from an eBay seller.

Ever since I've seen Taffies popping up all over teh interwebs, I've been immensely curious. I have enough sewing books already, and honestly wasn't super psyched about any of the patterns in the Colette handbook, so I didn't want to buy my own copy. I need to save all of my book-buying budget for that copy of The Crisis, a romantic Civil War novel by Winston Churchill (not to be confused with The World Crisis, a WWII book by Sir Winston S. Churchill), that I swear I'm going to find someday in a thrift store or used book store. Anyway, I was unsure about the massive sleeves that, though they look fetchingly similar to wings, I'm pretty sure my wide shoulders don't need. So when I found a Simplicity 8986, circa 1994, I got excited because in one hour I could have my very own low financial commitment, Taffy-esque, View E blouse.

And then I had to go and complicate things by trying to use up this dusty rose, sparkly chiffon that I had leftover from my Dulcie dress knockoff. I ended up cutting a medium in the hips, coming in to a small at the bust and extra-small at the sleeves (so as not to overwhelm my already prominent shoulders). French seams were pretty much a requirement, as there was no convenient selvage left to use. Also, the size of the pattern pieces and the remnants of my fabric meant that I had to cut it on the cross grain instead of the straight grain, thereby making the blouse even boxier. Also, my facings are crap. So much so, I have to wear this blouse backward so as to hide the ultra-ripply "front" facing under my hair. Still, I'm pretty excited by my rolled hems on the sleeves.

See, it looks more or less normal with my arms down.

But this way, you can see how shapeless is truly is.

Back view, somewhat uninspiring.

Please don't laugh too hard at the facing.

A nice rolled hem on chiffon is a thing of wonder and beauty.

Sparkly fabric and French seams!

Summary:
Fabric: 1 yard of 100% polyester crinkle chiffon, with silvery strands woven throughout
Notions: None.
Hours: More than an hour, since I used chiffon. Even so, I imagine that any fabric you'd want this blouse in would take longer to finish without a serger. I think this design pretty much requires a drape-y silk, satin, chiffon, or rayon something. And yes, I'm aware that satin and chiffon are not types of material, but rather types of fabric weave.
Will you make this again? I don't think this fluttery sleeve look is a good one for me, so probably not. And even though this pattern ends up pretty shapeless, I'm still tempted to try it again in the kimono-sleeve version, maybe in a rayon or something.
Total cost: Less than a dollar, since this is a remnant of a discounted by-the-pound fabric.
Final thoughts: Again, it's a basic top, but because of the sheer, sparkly fabric, it looks fancier than it is. It should be cake, but it's masquerading as frosting. This cake is a lie. Ummm, Portal references aside, I'm feeling okay about this top. It suffers a bit from an identity crisis not only in the cake/frosting realm, but also in that it looks sheer and airy and perfect for hot weather, only it's polyester and therefore doesn't breathe well. And the sleeves are too large to allow for a cardigan over it. Still, despite all that, it's a decent enough top and still serviceable. Kind of like yesterday's skirt. So far, slippery fabric week isn't going so well...good thing tomorrow's make is rayon instead of chiffon!

With sleeves like this, I believe I can fly! Wow, can you believe that that song is almost contemporary with this pattern?

Also, did anyone else watch the first episode of the History Channel's Hatfields & McCoys last night? I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I found it almost unbearably sad, and we haven't even gotten to the worst part yet. And apparently I had no idea what class the families are, because I was expecting costume inspiration, and yet found none. They all just look so incredibly...disheveled. Also, I was distracted by how much Johnse Hatfield looks like Draco Malfoy. I half expected him to suddenly start sneering at the McCoy boys, "You wait until I tell my father about this! He's on the board of governors!"