Category Archives: blouse

Outfit: Simplicity 1554, styled

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Front view #1.

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Front view #2.

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Closeup of bracelets: lucite root beer colored bracelet with glitter, black faux bakelite.

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Closeup of brooch. I take all my pictures myself so sometimes there are erratic angles.

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Blouse: Simplicity 1554, homemade
Cardigan: H&M
Pants: Hand me down from my mom
Bracelets: Faux lucite and faux bakelite
Shoes: Penny loafers, Hush Puppies
Brooch: Brown thermoset flower brooch, ebay

I’ve been making more of an effort to wear my projects this year and the ones that get the most wear are the blouses. I’ve also wanted to document more of what I wear from a day to day basis to keep track of the projects that I do wear.

It might be the erratic, freezing cold days we’ve been having but lately I’ve been really drawn to casual wear from the 50s (straight cut plain slacks) combined with 40s elements (brooches, lucite bracelets). I walk to and from work so whatever I have to be wearing has to be practical. I’m also allergic to nickel and can’t wear most jewelry that isn’t real. We’re also not allowed to wear jewelry on the mat so I’m constantly taking off my jewelry before going to class (jiu jitsu), and I’d like something I wouldn’t have to worry about losing if I put it in my wallet: hence large lucite bracelets and brooches.

That reminds me: I need to sew more pants.

The Made from Scraps Blouse: Simplicity 1554, circa 1940s

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The Facts:

Fabric: Cotton shirting bought over four years ago that I found while cleaning out my closet, about $4/yard
Pattern: Simplicity 1554
Year: 1945
Notions: black plastic buttons, $1
Time to complete: 6 hours
First worn: Hasn’t been worn yet!
Wear again? Yes!
Total price: $5?

Pattern used:

I found this already-cut plaid cotton shirting wadded up in a ball at the back of my closet. The blouse is surprisingly comfortable and came together pretty quickly (from cutting to stitching) in about an afternoon.

I serged the interfacing so it would be more flat, and double-folded all the edges. I used French seams on the sides. I’ve made this once before but altered it to use facings instead of seam binding, since the seam binding kept flipping up. I also lengthened it to it’ll hit around mid-hip.

Shown here with Wearing History trousers. The shirt is very comfortable and would work well worn casual or dressed-up. The muted color of the plaid makes it feel very 40s.

Btw: I have no idea if I like my hair like this. It makes me feel really self-conscious.

(Crossposted to Sew Weekly.)

Colette Patterns Jasmine

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Blouse: Colette Patterns Jasmine, front view #1
Pants: Cigarette pants, self-drafted
Colette Patterns Jasmine, front view #2

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Informal Pattern Review

I love this pattern. The trickiest thing about Jasmine was cutting the front on the bias. Maybe it was using cotton voile that had way too much drape, but the front pieces were hard to work with. I love how the blouse has no closure, no fiddly buttons or invisible zippers. I used seam binding on the collar instead of the facings (which never stay flat for me) and I interfaced the cuffs for extra stability.

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I miss dressing in vintage. Lately my rock and roll side has been winning out (perhaps if I sew or ever make anything in that style I’ll talk about it here), but vintage hasn’t been far from my mind.

Next in the queue: Jasmine

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That’s my rabbit hat sitting on top of piggy bank, in preparation for winter.

Procrastination got the best of me this week and last week, but I haven’t forgotten how to sew. Next up is Jasmine, by Colette Patterns.

I’ve been trying to resist buying this pattern for the last few weeks, but I watched one too many Peggy Olson outfits on Mad Men and finally gave in. Time to do something with the swiss dot, cotton voile, and cotton florals that have been languishing in my closet since early Fall.

Simplicity 1554 blouse, circa 1940s

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Blouse: Simplicity 1554 (40s pattern), self-made.
Skirt: Simplicity 4254 (40s pattern), self-made.
Shoes: ?

Simplicity 1554, front view #2.

Closeup view. (My hair has finally somewhat recovered from being layered so much.)

According to my notes I started this blouse in the beginning of August, but definitely finished it before then. Somewhere between going on vacation, attending Fashion Week, and looking for buttons it sat on my dressform for a good two or three weeks.

I used pearl buttons from MJ Trimmings and some cotton voile I got in the middle of summer. I usually think about buttons as an afterthought, but next time I want to make sure I have all my supplies together before finishing.

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Simplicity 1554 pattern.

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Pattern: Simplicity 1554, circa 1940s

Pattern Sizing: Bust 34

Did it look like the pattern envelope when you were done sewing it? Yes.

Fabric: Blue and white cotton voile.

Were the instructions easy to follow? I didn’t read or follow the directions.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I really like how it has a few pieces and can be made with very little fabric.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made? None.

Sizing issues: Yes! I bought the size closest to my measurements and it was still too large. I made two muslins and adjusted the sleeves so they weren’t as large and also raised the shoulder so it wouldn’t be as baggy.

New techniques learned: None.

Other notes: I used French seams and seam binding around the collar. I used the only light-colored interfacing I had and it was too stiff, so the collar sticks up a little too much. In the future I want to include the front facing in with cutting the front half so there’s less pieces (something I’ve seen in my DuBarry patterns) and clean up the collar section a bit. I also want to add two inches to the hem so I can wear it tucked out better.

Would you sew it again? Yes. I need more blouses in my wardrobe, and I think this one is simple enough to assemble. I also want to try the assembly line method with these at some point.

Work in Progress: Simplicity 1554, circa 1940s

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Simplicity 1554, circa 1940s.

I started my muslin of Simplicity 1554 the other day. I need more versatile blouses for the late summer/fall, and these make variations that look different enough. I had to make a lot of changes to the original pattern since it was way too big and boxy. This is my second muslin.

I got these beach rocks on the Oregon Coast. Much classier than using tins of food as pattern weights.

More beach rocks as pattern weights.

Muslin bodice front view.

Closeup of front view.

Transitional Fall SWAP: Sencha in Cotton Voile

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Front view.

Front view, #2.

Fall Version
Blouse: homemade, cotton voile, Colette Patterns Sencha
Pants: homemade, gabardine, Wearing History 1930s repro pattern
Cardigan: H+M

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Front view.

Front view, #2.

Back view.

Summer Version
Blouse: homemade, cotton voile, Colette Patterns Sencha
Shorts: homemade, gabardine, Wearing History 1930s repro pattern

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I finally finished my Sencha in blue floral cotton voile. I drafted a peter pan collar and lowered the neckline. This is part of my Summer/Fall SWAP, and is my first experiment with transitional pieces and I think it’s working out fine so far. It’s an exercise more in styling the same piece to produce different looks for different seasons, which is interesting.

Sorbetto Fail

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My sad, failed, Sorbetto.

Like everyone else on the internet, I’ve been lured by the promise of a two hour quick blouse and I decided to make a Sorbetto.

The best thing about Sorbetto is that it doesn’t take long to sew, and I knew by the next night that I had a classic Sorbetto Fail. I started my project yesterday and spent about an hour on it. I cut a size 2 out of my leftover cotton voile that has been languishing in my stash for over a year. I wasn’t particularly attached to the fabric so I figured I’d just go for it and not make a muslin. Big mistake!

Below is my Sorbetto review.

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Cons:

1) No waist shaping. The fit has no shaping at the waist and I looked like a small child wearing it. I need some sort of waist shaping for anything to be flattering.

2) Awkward length. It had some potential when it’s tucked into high-waisted trousers or skirts, but the length is too awkward to be left on its own. This could be easily fixed by adding two inches at the waist but I was too lazy to do a muslin firsthand.

3) No sleeves. Inspired by Sew Weekly, I added a sleeve to this. Fall is fast approaching and I wanted a versatile top with sleeves.

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Pros:

1) Easy to sew. I finished my garment with French seams and added cap sleeves and that took about two hours, including cutting.

2) Low fabric requirement. I made this version from some leftover cotton voile in the back of my closet.

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Verdict: I should have gone up a size or two with this project since my test square measured 3.75 inches, not 4 inches. I should have also made a muslin to check for fit. I did not even bother to finish this version since it just fit so awkwardly. It reminds me of children’s clothing (with its lack of waist shaping), and though I wanted to have this pattern work for me, it didn’t.

I might be too much work for me to try to fit Sorbetto, so I’ll see about drafting one loosely inspired by it based on my bodice block.