I am going through a blouse phase. I have intended to make some pretty blouses for myself once I became more competent in my sewing skills, inspired by the many lovely patterns out there.
Blouses seem to be going through a bit of a renaissance at the moment, with plenty of them in the shops from the traditional shirt to more feminine chiffon styles.
I have had a lovely spotty fabric in my "stash" for a while now, which I bought to team up with my red crepe skirt (see previous post). I decided to use the fabric to make a blouse for a local sewing bee competition at C&H Fabrics , using the New Look pattern 6107, view B.
The pattern was easy to follow with clear instructions. The only thing that I would say is that it is quite low cut at the bust and being loose fitting could be revealing if you bend over! I also found that my button loops were initially too big (I followed the instructions to the letter, honest), so I decided to make them smaller, to fit over the fabric covered buttons.
I was slightly concerned that it would look dated as it reminded me of some blouses that I wore in the late 90's.
It's probably not a pattern you would choose if you like to follow current fashion trends. However, it does look pretty, and fits like a dream.
One of the things that I like to do is check out other people's versions of a pattern, and I found several versions of this blouse on google images. It looks surprisingly good is a bold print too.
The competition was a great opportunity to up my game, take time over my project, and not cut corners! The blouse did take me a long time to make, as I basted all the seams before sewing, and added French seams, as well as cover the buttons . It was worth it (no I didn't win) for the sheer pleasure of taking my time and having a professional looking garment that I am proud to wear.
I also had some left over fabric so decided to make a matching padded hanger as well!
Although I didn't win the competition, my blouse did make it into the shop window for a week.
I am currently making the sewaholic Belcarra blouse, and will post a review soon.
Blouses seem to be going through a bit of a renaissance at the moment, with plenty of them in the shops from the traditional shirt to more feminine chiffon styles.
I have had a lovely spotty fabric in my "stash" for a while now, which I bought to team up with my red crepe skirt (see previous post). I decided to use the fabric to make a blouse for a local sewing bee competition at C&H Fabrics , using the New Look pattern 6107, view B.
The pattern was easy to follow with clear instructions. The only thing that I would say is that it is quite low cut at the bust and being loose fitting could be revealing if you bend over! I also found that my button loops were initially too big (I followed the instructions to the letter, honest), so I decided to make them smaller, to fit over the fabric covered buttons.
I was slightly concerned that it would look dated as it reminded me of some blouses that I wore in the late 90's.
It's probably not a pattern you would choose if you like to follow current fashion trends. However, it does look pretty, and fits like a dream.
One of the things that I like to do is check out other people's versions of a pattern, and I found several versions of this blouse on google images. It looks surprisingly good is a bold print too.
The competition was a great opportunity to up my game, take time over my project, and not cut corners! The blouse did take me a long time to make, as I basted all the seams before sewing, and added French seams, as well as cover the buttons . It was worth it (no I didn't win) for the sheer pleasure of taking my time and having a professional looking garment that I am proud to wear.
I also had some left over fabric so decided to make a matching padded hanger as well!
Although I didn't win the competition, my blouse did make it into the shop window for a week.
I am currently making the sewaholic Belcarra blouse, and will post a review soon.