Maria Denmark Edith Top - You'll be Retro Fabulous.

Hello fellow sewcialists, some of you know I've been drooling over the Maria Denmark Edith blouse since first seeing the prototype garment. It pretty much has everything I like in a summertime button down blouse.
Kimono sleeve...check, collar...check, darts galore...check.  Can I make this up in that narrow vintage cotton I have in the stash, YES I CAN!

So I dropped everything and whipped one up just in time for a trip to the in-laws.  One must put decorative landscaping/fences to good use after all.  Thankfully they don't ask questions when I break out the tripod.

This was the first pattern I used since Maria redesigned the formatting for her PDF downloads and I loved the change.  Every page had a nice red dotted line where the pieces should overlap.  It was easy peasy putting the whole thing together.

Now on to the proper review....
Pattern
The new Edith top/dress from Maria Denmark.  I used a combination of size 42/44.

Fabrics used
Some vintage cotton snagged on Etsy.  This was probably quilting cotton but I liked the cherry gingham print and decided to purchase it for a top.  (Shop is Leona's Old Linens, if you're interested.)

Pattern changes/alterations
1. My usual 1" drop and diagonal tilt of the bust dart.  I've found through past trial and error that this placement works best for me.

2. Dropped the top point of the front fish eye dart 3".
3. Increased the dart intake of the back fish eye dart 1/4".
4. The collar felt a little tight and the bottom of the armholes were digging into my underarms. It fix this I took 1/2" off the shoulder seam at the outer edge and graded it into nothing at the collar side.  Then I dropped the bottom of the armhole 1/2".  This took care of both my fitting problems and put the blouse waist at my natural waist.
5. Normal 1/2" forward shoulder adjustment.
6. Added 1/4" more ease to the hips.
7. Slightly curved the hem at the side seam on both the front and the back.

Confessions/Advice
1.  I used a bias band finish for the armholes.  It was a bit tricky since kimono sleeves have a tighter curve at the bottom than a normal sleeveless blouse. I'm still pretty pleased with the finish.

2. Next time I'd make the front facing slightly wider so I don't feel like it wants to flip out.
3. I never do sway back adjustments on blouses with back fish eye darts but it's probably something I should do.
4. There is no button placement on the pattern so what I did was to put on the shirt and decide where the bust level button should go. Then divide the space evenly for 5 buttons.  On my shirt the top button is 14" from the hem and the rest are spaced 2 1/4" apart.
5. My version has a shirt tail hem in the contrasting hot pink top-stitching....which I seem to have forgotten to take a photo of.

Husband Comment
"You did a really good job on the hems. What are these, cherries?"   I did unpick and redo that hem, so husband points for noticing.

My Final Thoughts
I feel all Bettie Draper put together when wearing Edith with some Colette Clovers.  Now I just need to work on my Nordic bitch stare while sucking on some menthols. "No one likes a liar Sally, now make me a drink."
In closing I think this is a great little pattern and would recommend it to anyone comfortable with making buttonholes.  So make yourself one and find a fence to pose in front of....maybe your husband will photobomb you too.