handmade blouse | oliversfancy

This past week I was able to test an upcoming Made-By-Rae pattern- the Bianca. You guys, I may sound like a broken record sometimes, but this Rae, she really knows her stuff. I really, really love this top. In fact I love it so much that I cut into my hoarded double gauze to make myself an Easter dress version of this pattern. It has some really nice customization options to make it the most flattering fit on every body style. The pattern was set to be released very soon, but Rae’s adorable little baby boy made an early appearance so she’s busy snuggling up a little newborn, and I’m not too sure what the release date is now. I’m sure it won’t be too long; she has a great team that is continuing to keep things running. I will update this post and let y’all know when you can go and get it! In the meantime have a look at mine and enjoy brainstorming what fabric you could use for this. I think it’s the perfect style for a comfy summer dress… and that makes me long for summer and warm weather to finally be here! The calendar says it’s officially spring, but we’ve had some pretty cold, nasty days this week.

If you recognize the fabric used in this top, it’s because I got a bolt of this Joel Dewberry voile on clearance a while back so I use it for all of my samples and testing before I cut into the good stuff. I now have about 4 tops that use this fabric in some way. I’m not sure what I’ll use for testing when my bolt is gone! Oh and I have a bit of bragging to do. My mom and sister came over when I had this top on for picture-taking, and they both commented on how cute it was. That’s pretty high praise because they’re not so much into the whole sewing-thing. They’d rather buy something at the store than make it, so I do a little happy dance when they think something I made looks like it could come from the store (but better because it’s perfectly adjusted to my measurements!). I can’t wait to see everyone else’s version of this top/dress once the pattern is released!

For the Maker’s Summit this past weekend I felt the need to make myself an outfit. What is a conference for makers without something handmade, right? I really wanted to play around with some of my chambray and make a tunic but ran out of time and needed something quick and easy. This Liesl + Co pattern seemed to fit the bill. I bought this pattern and the Everyday Skirt several months ago when they were having an online sale, but had yet to actually make them. Still waiting to make the skirt, but as the weather warms up I’m sure I’ll get the urge to try it out. Side note: Editing polka dot pictures does crazy stuff to the eyes!

This shirt was a very simple, straightforward pattern. I didn’t have the time or willpower to make a muslin so I decided to just go for it and make a size I thought would fit based on my upper bust measurements. (Gasp…lazy sewing!) Liesl recommends doing a FBA (full bust adjustment) if you are a C cup or larger, but even though I am (at the moment- thanks to nursing it changes on a monthly basis- LOL) a C, I couldn’t be bothered. In retrospect I probably should have because my bust darts are way off, but everything else worked out great. This was one of those situations where everything could have gone terribly awry and I end up trashing the end result, but I am so happy to report that I got lucky and ended up with a shirt I will actually wear!

Pattern: Liesl + Co Weekend Getaway Blouse

Pattern mods/future changes:

I did go back and change the side seam allowances from 1/2″ to 3/8″ to give myself a little more wiggle room.
Next time I would add some more length to the top because I like my shirts a bit longer
As mentioned previously, bust darts were off (super high) but with the silkiness of the fabric and loose-fitting pattern, it’s not very noticeable
I left out the pockets because I didn’t want to spend the time on them and didn’t think they were really necessary with the type of fabric I used.

I really like the little inverted pleat at the top there…it’s a fun detail.

Fabric used: An unknown silky-ish fabric picked up when I got to hang out with Deborah at a fabric store in Atlanta last fall. There is no selvedge info so I’m really not sure of the fiber content. This was one of my first times sewing with such slippery fabric, and it made things a bit tricky but not super unmanageable. I’d like to make this pattern again in a chambray or similar fabric and see how the sewing goes.