Libby Blouse Pattern by Sew Over It

I really like blouses and shirts yet I do not sew many of them. Even though my last three posts are about blouses, don’t get fooled. I like sewing blouses, but I need variety in my sewing so when I make one blouse I go for the next best thing and by the time I get to making another blouse a lot of time goes by. But I really do like the ones I make and wear them a lot.

One of the blouses I made last spring during quarantine is the Sew Over It Libby blouse. I like this pattern a lot. I like the collar and the grown on sleeves. It somehow looks laid back while still being a blouse. Perfect!

The way this collar is constructed is new to me and it is a bit challenging. I am not sure if the part of the challenge had to do with the fabric choice, but the construction for sure needed a bit more of my attention that the regular collar construction. SOI have a good blog post about the construction of it which is a great extra help alongside the instructions. It is doable, but for me it took sometime to figure out what exactly I need to do. My recommendation is to read the instructions and blog post several times to really understand the steps and go slowly. My insides look a bit messy but I figure it makes no sense to be bothered by it since nobody will ever see it. Life is to short!

I sewed down the facing to the main fabric and the stitches are hidden under the collar. The facing was peeking out in few places before which was annoying and since the stitches are hidden below the collar it is the perfect little trick to make life (and wearing this blouse) easier.

I love the fabric and how bright and happy it is. I mentioned before but I will say it again – sewing made my fabric choices bolder and style so much more versatile and well, just better. That transformation is very welcome! Did sewing have the same effect for you?

Adrienne Blouse – The Sleeve Heaven

In my opinion Adrienne blouse by Friday Pattern Company is your perfect every day blouse. Why, you might wonder. Well, first of all, it is some sort of a cheating blouse (and I say this in the best possible way) because it is designed for knit fabric meaning it is really comfy to wear. And then there are the sleeves. Sleeves have been a big thing last few years and this pattern sure has plenty of those.

I like the bodice on this pattern since it is slim yet comfortable and the neckline is really cool. I would recommend to use fabrics with right amount of stretch as suggested in the pattern. The first fabric I used is almost the correct stretch and I made it in the smallest size as per my measurements. It is comfortable to wear but I would prefer if I made it a larger size. Now it feels a bit too clingy and I would like to have a bit of ease in this area.  Not sure what the fabric is exactly (cotton jersey?) since I got it from a friend, but it looks as good quality. Of course I could have sized up and it would have been perfect. But, sometimes you just have to learn from your mistakes.

For my second version I used this lovely cubist jersey I bought from Minerva. Isn’t this fabric amazing? I had it for some time and was looking for the perfect dress pattern but then realized it would be better suited for a top and Adrianne blouse is the perfect match. I sized up for this version and I like it better this way. I love how this blouse looks with high waisted pants and It would also look really good with overalls.
Mental note: make overalls.

And of course, it is great for layering under dresses. I love any outfit I saw styled like this and this reminds me I should wear this more often. This way the sleeves really pop even more and make any outfit perfect.

Thank you for reading!
Ana

 

Roscoe blouse

I looked at the Roscoe blouse pattern by True Bias for a long time thinking how it is the perfect breezy blouse. And it is exactly that!
I finally went and sewed it last spring during quarantine and it was love at first sight. And then after finishing the first version I went straight ahead and made two more. That’s how much I liked it.

The pattern is wide and has a lot of ease and that is exactly what makes this pattern so good – it is supposed to be big and breezy. It is really easy and fast to sew with no fastenings and with a bit of gathering around the neckline and sleeve hems. The sleeves are not set in sleeves but raglan style which makes this pattern easier and faster to assemble. The nice detail I like about it is it has long ties that go down from the neckline binding and they look equally good untied and tied into a bow. I mostly wear mine untied because I like the relaxed look of it. But with colder days ahead I will probably tie it more often.

 

The first version is this rust one made in Atelier Brunette viscose and it is dreamy. It is so soft and breezy and gives me such strong 70’s vibes. I made this one in size 2 which is maybe a bit too big for me, so with later versions I cut out the smallest size (size 0). The sleeves are long but do not reach all the way so the wrists are out. I do not mind that in a blouse although I do think the length is a bit weird. I did think of maybe shortening them but haven’t gotten to it yet. Will see how I feel after wearing it more this autumn.

The second version is again made out of a viscose and yes, again Atelier Brunette fabric. What can I say, I like their designs. I made this one in size 0 and shortened the sleeves so they get to above elbows. I like it much more with this sleeve length although it does mean it might not be really good for wearing in the colder days (at least for me). But I really like it made up in this fabric and I feel great when wearing it.

For the third version I stepped away from viscose and made it in a less flowy fabric. I used this colorful cotton (lawn? – it has been a while and I don’t remember the exact fabric components) and I love it. I did not have enough fabric to make it as long as the pattern suggests. This means I can’t really wear it tucked in but I like it like this as well. The sleeves are also shorter on this one and it is made in size 0. I also made the neck opening at the front a bit smaller so it does not gape. It is just at the right spot now to get it over my head, phew! I had this fabric for so long in my stash not knowing what to make from it and I think this blouse will give it the right kind of life.

Am I thinking of making more Roscoe blouses? Yes. Is there such thing like too many Roscoe blouses? No. This pattern is just too good for that to be true.
Did you make the Roscoe pattern? What do you think about it and do you like it as much as I do?

 

Thank you for reading!
Ana

Kew Lindo – Nina Lee Kew dress pattern / Nina Lee Kew haljina

The Kew dress by Nina Lee Patterns is a real beauty and I was eyeing it ever since it came out. I was not sure it was really me (although it is my dream wardrobe, just not sure I would wear it as much). So I waited. And waited. And one day I caved and got the pattern. That is how it usually works 😊

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Kew haljina od Nina Lee Patterns je prava ljepotica i dugo sam ju mjerkala. Nisam bila sigurna da je u potpunosti moj stil (iako tako izgleda moja garderoba iz snova, samo nisam bila sigurna da bi ju u stvarnosti dovoljno nosila). I tako sam čekala. I čekala. Sve dok jednog dana nisam popustila i kupila kroj. Tako to kod mene obično ide 😊

 

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I thought about making the dress, but as I am really into separates recently I decided to do the top first and check the fit while I am at it. Top version is not included in the pattern but it is so easy to make. You just measure how long you want your top to be and make the bodice that much longer (with extra 2 cm or so for the hem). Easy peasy.

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Razmišljala sam napraviti haljinu, ali kako sam u zadnje vrijeme totalno luda za majicama odlučila sam napraviti top verziju i usput provjeriti jesu li potrebne neke preinake. Top verzija nije uključena u kroj ali je to jednostavno napraviti. Samo trebate izmjeriti koje dužine želite majicu i za toliko produžite kroj gornjeg dijela (plus otprilike 2 centimetra za dovršiti rub). Jednostavnije ne može.

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Combined here with Flint pants pattern by Megan Nielsen / ovdje u kombinaciji s krojem hlača Flint od Megan Nielsen

 

Now the fit – it was ok. That means that it was good but I had some gaping in the back. The back bodice was a bit big in the shoulder area so the neckline stood up. Not good. But I only noticed that when the facing was already sewn and the top was basically done apart from the hem. So I debated with my inner self weather I prefer to take it apart, take it in, redo the facing and stitch it all back together or I want to go the lazy route and try taking it in somehow. Guess which route I choose. Yes, lazy as one can be. So, I opted to make the back darts longer and sewed them all the way up to about 2 cm before the facing and bodice seam. This helped a bit but not 100% and there was still some gaping in the middle back. So finally I added a big dart in the middle and caught both bodice and facing in it. That gave perfect results and it now fits perfectly. This also helped with the front and raised the neckline a bit which I like. And it does not look like a butcher’s work at all and it actually gives a fun detail to the back.

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Kroj haljine mi je odgovarao, ali bila je potrebna manja intervencija. Sve je dobro pristajalo, ali kada sam praktički bila gotova sa svim osim s rubom, primijetila sam da su leđa prevelika i da majica strši u zrak kod vrata. A to nikako nije dobro. U tom trenutku sam debatirala bi li radije rastavila majicu, unjela ju i ponovo zašila nazad ili bi odabrala lijenu verziju i u ovom ju stadiju nekako unjela. Probajte pogoditi za što sam se odlučila. I tako sam išla lijenom rutom (pogodili ste, jel da?) i za početak sam produžila stražnje ušivke prema gore do otprilike 2 cm prije šava. To je malo pomoglo ali nije skroz riješilo problem. Onda sam na sredinu stavila veći ušivak s kojim sam uhvatila glavnu tkaninu i postavu i to je bilo to. Sada majica pristaje odlično, a to je čak i malo podiglo prednji izrez što mi se sviđa. I obzirom da sam išla ljenijom rutom na kraju rezultat uopće nije neuredan i još daje zanimljiv detalj na leđima. Pobjeda.

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I omitted the front darts since the fit without them is perfect and with them it was too snug. I hemmed the top after making buttonholes and sewed on the buttons to make it even. I plan to wear it tucked in so wanted to make it a bit longer. That way I can wear it with high waisted trousers or skirts.

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Prednje ušivke nisam napravila jer nisu bili potrebni. Kada sam ih ušila majica je bila preuska, pa sam se odlučila izbaciti ih iz kroja. Rub sam dovršila nakon izrade rupica za gumbe i postavljanja gumba da bi ga mogla uredno poravnati. Plan mi je nositi ju zataknutu u hlače ili šoseve visokog struka pa sam ju napravila malo dužom.

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And the colour of that fabric is everything! It is linen (with viscose I think) and it is gorgeous. I couldn’t leave without it when I saw it in a local shop. It is perfect for this time of year.

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Boja tkanine je sve što sam ikad sanjala! To je lan (mislim da ima i malo viskoze) i predivan je. Nisam mogla izići iz dućana bez njega. Boja je odlična za ovo doba godine.

 

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Combined here with Erin skirt pattern by Sew Over It / u kombinaciji s krojem šosa Erin od Sew Over It

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Next I plan to make a dress version (all three of them!) and also the skirt. I think they all look great paired with the right fabric. And my wardrobe is more cheerful once again with this new garment, so yey!

 

Iduće planiram napraviti haljinu (sve tri verzije zapravo!) ali i šos. Mislim da sve verzije kroja izgledaju predivno kada se kombiniraju s pravom tkaninom. A moj ormar je još malo sretniji sa sunčanom bojom tako da – jej!

 

 

Thank you for reading!

Hvala na čitanju!

Ana