In an effort to finally post a few of the neglected projects on the blog, I have been exploring old folders of photos and I came across this blouse. I made the blouse in 2016, but did not get photos until at least a year later. The time stamp on these photos got messed up when they were copied to a new drive, but I remember it was a very cold morning, and from the fallen leaves, I would guess it may have been November or December of 2017.
This was actually the second version of this pattern that I made. The first was made in a quilting cotton, and I was curious how it would work in a more 1940s appropriate textile choice like rayon. I had just enough of this rayon challis left from a dress project that I thought I could squeeze out the pieces with my fabric remnants. Spoiler alert . . . I did manage to cut everything out!
This is a pretty basic blouse except for the scallop details which really set off the neckline, sleeves, and the peplum.
So apart from the slight aggravation of clipping out all of those tiny bits of fabric so that the curved scallops press nicely into place, the pattern goes together with a minimal amount of effort. I did change the construction slightly on this version so that the side zipper opens into the hemline instead of closing the last inch or so of the scalloped hemline. Having the hemline open makes the blouse much easier to get out of! The only reason I can imagine that it is drafted with the lower edge stitched closed is because of the scallops, but it was easy enough to keep the border looking nice with a functional zipper running through the hem.
And then I had to find an appropriate skirt to match the quirky print. This proved to be more challenging than expected, since I didn't want to just tuck the peplum into a skirt and hide all of the scalloped detail. A 1950s inspired circle skirt was the last garment that I thought would work, but somehow it did.
So please excuse me playing fast and loose with my stylistic choices that span a couple of decades, but I rather like the way this outfit turned out!
I do have more rayon remnants stashed away and I sometimes pull them out hoping to make them into something wearable, only to find that I really do only have scraps left.
Because this blouse has a waistline seam, it becomes easier to get creative with cutting layouts as the pattern pieces are smaller in size than a two piece blouse. I really should pull the pattern out again and see if I can match it up with some of those fabric scraps that I just don't have the heart to get rid of on the off chance that I find a use for them.
And I wouldn't mind having a few more 1940s style skirts in my closet. In fact, this Simplicity pattern comes with a matching skirt pattern.
I have made the skirt before, and while it is not the most exciting design out there, it is a useful basic.
Once again, there are just too many patterns to choose from, and too little time to make them all!
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