This self-drafted blouse has been a long, long time in the making – several months, in fact. Now I know some people have projects hanging around for years but I can’t do that. I don’t like projects dragging on and I also don’t like more than one project on the go at a time, if I can help it. Anyway, despite me not having got the fit of it quite right, I know this will become one of my most-worn tops as it’s exactly my kind of style and fabric.
So what’s wrong with the fit? It’s ever-so-slightly tight around the bust, it’s so long since I drafted the pattern I can’t even begin to work out where I went wrong but my bodice block isn’t tight, nor is anything else I’ve made from it. I also should have lowered the neckline a bit but I’ve already proudly worn it out to lunch so neither is a big issue. It’s based on my Sure-Fit Designs bodice block and a digital download instruction leaflet which you can purchase from the SFD website; they’ve called it “Sweet Serena”. It has raglan sleeves and the bust darts are rotated into gathers at the neckline.
I can’t remember where I bought the fabric from, but it’s a lovely lightweight viscose which drapes beautifully. As so often with my makes, when I start sewing I often have no real plan about how to finish some of the details: cuffs, hem etc. This time, I decided I wanted a deeper cuff so that’s what I drafted. The hem was what made me put off finishing this for ages because another drafting issue was that the front ended up significantly longer than the back, partly because the back was a bit too short – again, I have no idea how that happened. Eventually I gave myself a mental kick up the backside and got it done, finishing it with a very narrow curved hem.
Not much else to say about this, just a few more pictures – apologies for the blurry cuff shot!
Fabric Engineering 