Self Drafted : Spring Blues

You know the real spring is right around the corner when orders for summery clothes start coming in. And this blouse made me REALLY think about the warm and lovely season that can't get here fast enough. It is a lovely rayon that felt like it would be great to wear in the summer heat.

Mrs.S wanted a simple button front blouse with a slight V-neck and something "interesting but simple" around the neckline instead of a standard shirt collar. So I showed her a shirt design I had made a pattern for myself but haven't yet sewn and she loved it. So I created the same look for her blouse neckline. The front is shaped with two darts. One is a regular waist dart and the other is a bust dart that is directed towards the side seam. She didn't want the curve from her back to her bum to be visible, so I didn't sew the back darts.

The fabric itself was a lucky find by Mrs.S from the remnant bin in the fabric shop. Like I said, it's a rayon fabric and it was 115cm wide, so I had to make a seam in the center back as well, to be able to get a full shirt with sleeves out of it. After I was done with it,  only a few strips of fabric were left. That's what I call efficient pattern placement. Luckily the fabric has so much going on, the seam in the center back is barely visible.

To create the button bands and collar, I drafted the pieces as an extension of the bodice and cut them out in two layers and sewed them together, instead of folding the front of the button band.

There's also a little slit in the side seams and the front hem is 2cm shorter than the back hem. Also, I swear the top stitching on the slit is even, the back slit is just draping over the front on this picture. I promise, I didn't sew that with my eyes closed.

The seams are finished with my trusted overlock and the sleeve and shirt hem are finished with a rolled hem.