Why I Love Orange

This is my second entry in the Natural Fibers Contest. I didn't really plan on making a second entry but I spotted this ORANGE print and saw that it was 100% cotton. I had to have it anyway, so might as well enter another garment, right?

Many have reviewed this pattern before me and I did not read them all so this may have been mentioned...the only major insight that I found was in the ruffles. If gathered as patterned they would have been VERY skimpy. I doubled the length and mine might look as full as those on the pattern envelope.

I also have to add that my ruffle inspiration is Sarah of Goodbye Valentino whose gorgeous ruffled creations make all of us want to be more feminine. If you haven't seen her blog, you much check it out.

So, without further ado, here is my review from PR:

Pattern Description: Misses top with trim variations. Separate patterns included for B, C and D cup sizes.
Pattern Sizing:
4-12 I made a 12D
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, I think so.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Very easy for the view I made (E).
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Likes: the ruffles! Like Cissy, I was inspired by Goodbye Valentino's beautiful ruffled garments. Also, the simplicity of a simple pattern with lots of cute variations. I would have disliked the fullness of the ruffle had I used the pattern as given. More on that in changes below.
Fabric Used:
100% cotton for entry in the Natural Fibers Contest.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I did take the waist in about 2" on each side to give it a little shape. The main change I made was on the ruffle. I did several test runs with my ruffler and found that using the lengths given in the pattern I would never have achieved as full a ruffle as pictured on the pattern envelope. I doubled the length of the ruffle fabric and used most all of that on my shirt. Using the pattern as given the ruffle would have been really skimpy. This pattern has been reviewed a lot so this may have been mentioned...I did not read all of them. There is a close up of my ruffle here.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I might lengthen it to a dress. If I do I will scoop out the neckline a little bit. Definitely recommend if you haven't made it yet.
Conclusion:
Cute, easy pattern resulting in a fun top. And it's orange...how bad could it be?

 Okay, so here's the reason that I love orange...

When I was 5 years old my mom put me in charge of making the biggest decision of my young life.

We were living in Webster Groves, MO and I was starting kindergarten. There was an afternoon class and there was a morning class. She absolutely didn't care which one I chose. Can you imagine the weight of a decision like that on the shoulders of a little kid? (Smart mom...early training for real life.)

Ultimately, the decision became simple and I chose the afternoon class. Why? The morning classroom had a purple door and the afternoon class had an orange door. Boom. There you have the beginning of a love affair with the color orange.