Tartan and Taffy

Happy Robert Burns' birthday!  I'm still working on my 1940 tartan dress but realized I had a nearly finished Taffy blouse (from the Colette pattern book) lingering about and decided to finish it up to wear this evening!  I picked the pink colour for the blouse to go specifically with my tartan Ness skirt and matching shoes...perfect for a Burns evening.

This was a relatively easy blouse project but not as quick as I thought it would be.  I did a quick tissue fit and set out to cut out the very thin and sometimes slippery fabric.  I'm not sure exactly what the blouse fabric is made of, I'm thinking it might be a cotton voile.  I cut each piece separately and tried to avoid slippage by placing the fashion fabric on top of a piece of wool to cut.

I finished the entire blouse with french seams.  I really love this method of finishing as it encases the seam completely.

Then the blouse sat in my UFO pile for 2 months waiting for the bias binding on the neck and around the sleeves.  I attached the bias binding by hand which took about 2 hours but I really love the effect!

The sleeves are fantastic on this blouse!  The only issue is that the neckline is a bit wider and puckers ever so slightly in the front and back.  I think this is where the tissue fitting may have disguised a need to alter the neckline. Alas, lesson learned.  I still plan to wear the blouse all the time.   I love it!

Plus, it goes with my Ness tartan skirt and shoes!  I don't have much in my closet at the moment that goes with them--so I am super happy about the new blouse.  I plan to sew up a 1940 dress sometime this spring that matches the shoes too!

We found this amazing 'close' or alleyway just off the Royal Mile near the Parliament building.  What looks like just an archway from the main street, leads into a quaint courtyard with some really old buildings.  One of these buildings has the date '1653' over the door meaning these buildings where built over 100 years before Robert Burns first came to the city...

I will probably wear the blouse under a jacket most of the time, which is perfect because it hides the neckline faults!

Every restaurant in the city is booked up tonight with Scots celebrating Robert Burns' birthday with a traditional supper of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties (turnips and potatoes) and a reading of Robert Burns' 'Ode to the Haggis' poem.

Instead of the traditional supper, we are getting together with a friend and going to a local Scottish pub where we will partake of some whiskey and take turns reading our favourite Burns poems.  

Here's an abridged version of the poem I am going to read:

Scotch Drink

Let other poets rais a fracas,

'Bout vines, and wines, and drucken Bacchus,

And crabbit names and stories wrack us,

And grate our lug,

I sing the juice Scotch beare can mak us,

In glass or jug.

O thou, my Muse! guid auld Scotch drink,

Whether through wimplin' worms thou jink,

Or, richly brown, ream o'er the brink,

In glorious faem,

Inspire me, till I lisp and wink,

To sing thy name!

Food fills the wame, and keeps us livin';

Though life's a gift no worth receivin'

When heavy dragg'd wi' pine and grievin';

But, oil'd by thee,

The wheels o' life gae down-hill, scrievin', 

Wi' rattlin' glee.

Thou clears the head o' doited Lear;

Thou cheers the heart o' drooping Care;

Thou strings the nerves o' Labour sair,

At's weary toil;

Thou even brightens dark Despair,

Wi' gloomy smile.

O whisky! soul o' plays and pranks!

Accept a Bardie's gratefu' thanks!

When wanting thee, what tuneless cranks

Are my poor verses!

Thou comes--they rattle i' their ranks

At ither's a--es.

Fortune! if thou'll but gie me still

Hale breeks, a scone, and whisky gill,

And rowth o' rhyme to rave at will,

Tak a' the rest,

And deal't about as thy blind skill

Directs the best.

-By Robert Burns, born 25 January 1759