It started with my Watercolor Blouse which is made of a fabulous
stretch rayon. It reminded me of some
yardage I had stashed away. It also
reminded me of this dress, which came out to play last week.
And then came the Sew Weekly Challenge: Vacation!
I have never really been a vacation sort of girl. But after those 14 bound buttonholes that have been keeping me busy, I decided that a
lazy project was in order.
I am so jealous of everyone out there who manages to finish their fabulous dresses in just three or four hours. How is that even possible?!!?
This Cynthia Rowley design was just what the doctor ordered. And not only that, I finished it in one weekend - from the washing of fabric, to
securing the final belt loop. That may be a record!
The only real change that I made was to add some elastic to
the waistband. From looking at the
pattern envelope, I had assumed that elastic was involved. However, to pull the waist in, the pattern
utilizes a fabric belt. I think that the
elastic helps to keep everything in place much better than a simple
belt.
I should also mention that the neckline required a quick
tack. The knotted sleeve has enough weight
to pull at the neckline, and would be a bit scandalous without a few whip
stitches keeping the surplice front together, if you know what I mean! And, yes, that is Hug Snug seam binding, and to finish the blouse, I hand rolled the hem.
Fun fact: the first
day I wore this blouse, three other ladies in the office were wearing the same coral
color. Now, I work in a small office –
there are 10 woman in the building, at most, on any given day! What are the chances!?
Blouse: Made by me,
Simplicity 1872
Skirt: Express
Shoes: BP from
Nordstrom
Earrings: Banana
Republic
Great blouse! And I would have thought the pattern calls for elastic as well.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a lovely blouse!
ReplyDeleteA dress in three hours? I don't get it either. In three hours I've usually just about managed to copy the pattern and cut the fabric. The handsewn hem alone will probably take an hour or two, more if it is a very full dress. Whenever someone says they made a dress in such a short time, I always assume they had the fabric pretreated and hanging, made the dress at least once before (i.e. minimal fittings), maybe even had it pre-cut, and did absolutely no handsewing.
What a splendidly pretty blouse! I love the cheerful hue and feminine floral pattern, as well as the classic cut. Excellent work!
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica
Such a lovely blouse! Your fabric suits the style beautifully.
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful fabric and makes for a very nice blouse. When you say stretch rayon, I am wondering what that is exactly. Rayon always seems like such a delicate and weak fiber (which makes it nice and drapey, I suppose). Is it like a shirting weight with some spandex in it? It is perfect for this style of blouse.
ReplyDeleteAdorable!
ReplyDeleteI made a dress using this pattern for Easter and I did the same thing with the opening- and I want to go back and add elastic, too! Looks like it's not just me :)
Beautiful blouse. I think the three to four hour dress sewists are aliens - there's no other explanation. It's the same for those people who can trace a pattern in 15 minutes - aliens! :)
ReplyDelete