Summer Blouse

One of the many projects on my want to sew list is from the book Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. This book has been in "my sewing library" since it came out and so far I have only made 2 that's right only 2 projects from it (one was a couple of lingerie bags and the other was a shirt for x). One of my goals before I turn 27 is to make more clothes for myself, since a) I have my degree in fashion b) I hardly have anything to wear and c) I have a lot of fabric that needs to be turned into something. I am also really trying to utilize the books that I have in "my sewing library" instead of just looking at them every couple of months and then just throw them back on the shelf to collect some dust. Now, sometimes I feel in the mood to spend the time drafting my own patterns, while that is generally fun and relaxing, there are times I just need to get something completed without spending too much time or thought on it. This is where the summer blouse comes in:

So I really loved the simplicity (it only took a few hours to whip out) and look of the pattern. Risking a little fabric (its from Joanns and was on sale, I think the total for this blouse came in under $3.00), I choose not to make a muslin and instead jumped right in with the project. Lucky for me, it worked out perfectly (Sorry, I am not actually wearing it for the photo. I did manage to wear it to the Quilt Show on Saturday and totally forgot to take a picture of me in it. Today was just a little to hot and a very busy day, so I only mustered up the energy to put it on the dress form.) The few alterations that I made were to leave off the sleeves and just roll the seam allowance on the armholes 1/4" twice and edge stitched to finish. I also chose to use a pre-made white double folded bias tape instead of making my own. This left me with a little stiffer neckline then if I had made my own since the fabric is very light and lovely. Overall, the pattern was easy to follow and worked out fairly well. It turns out that my favorite detail of the entire garment is the front placket. I love that the neckline is easily adjusted to any depth. The blouse was really comfortable to wear around on my adventure, was light and airy and I just unbuttoned it when it was really hot out. One of the Amy Butler fabrics I just picked up is destined to become summer blouse as well, but with a contrasting placket this time. I can't wait to get it started probably later this week once I get a few more things off my to-do list!