4-H sewing: Sleeves and front button band

Anna is progressing well on her 4-H sewing project! We've had to kick things up a notch - sewing just one day a weekend for 90 minutes and one short session during the week after school just isn't cutting it as we approach the time to get this done. I'd like her to have this completed by the second week of June, to prepare for the junior fashion review and judging the following week.

Wow, set-in sleeves. It's a bit ambitious for an 11-year-old, and I did help her pin the sleeves into the holes after she gathered them. And since she didn't have a 4-H sewing teacher to guide her this year, she's stuck with ol' me, and I don't know how much helping is *too* much helping. I don't think I've crossed the line, but I knew those sleeves would be pretty rough and felt the need to jump in with the pinning. Still, it took two sessions - one 2-hour session and one 90-minute session - to get those sleeves hemmed and sewn in. There were some accidental tucks to be torn out/restitched, and the sewing was just slow. But after the first 2-hour session, Anna was already talking about how she wants to make the blouse again, because she figures the second time will be faster, lol!

The instructions on the button band were a bit confusing, so I sought help first from Becky of Erica's Craft & Sewing Center and Brenna of The Quilting Loft. Anna has taken a couple of sewing camps from Becky, and Brenna was her 4-H instructor from last year, and both offered to help. Thankfully they were able to clear up the instructions (yes, sometimes it DOES take a village!), so I taught Anna how to put the the button band on smoothly today.

Next is some hand-stitching - the button band needs to be slip-stitched onto the back of the garment, and Anna spent about 20 minutes on that today. I hope she can finish it tomorrow; she seemed to catch on quickly. Then it's onto the collar, button holes and buttons!

Her shirt is looking like it fits well; almost TOO well...like, don't grow-before-the-fashion-review-well. I think the next blouse should be made a size larger to accommodate growth. But for now it looks very much like the photo on the McCall's page for the pattern: