Completed: It's all about the spots blouse

Following my last post I was determined to find time to sew. I wanted something reasonably simple that would become a quick win. Tucked away in my stash was a deep purple chiffon with white spots. I picked this up on a trip to Goldhawk Road with the idea of making a blouse for the office. I looked around for a suitable pattern and settled on this one from Burda. I surprised myself with this choice. Generally I like a more fitted silhouette and this one doesn't have much shape but I've become more accustomed to a looser fit after wearing my Beehive Blazer a lot. The ties are knotted together. I tried a bow but I just wasn't comfortable. I don't really get on with big bows. 

This was the first time I had used a Burda pattern. I downloaded the pdf which certainly makes it easier than tracing the patterns off the crazy sheets that come with the magazines, although it still took me a while to figure it out. Turns out there are three patterns within the same pdf. Luckily I remembered to add seam allowance before cutting out the pattern. 

The chiffon was relatively easy to work with as I used all the tips and tricks I learnt when making my summer cocktail dress. I pinned and pinned before basting every seam. I used French seams throughout and that made for a lot of basting! It was worth it though as the chiffon behaved itself at the machine. If I had just pinned, which was very tempting at times, I would have ended up with a mess of chewed up fabric and uneven stitches. 

I did struggle with the scantly written instructions that came with the pattern. A lot of the steps just didn't make sense to me. I made a toile to check the sizing but mainly to see the order of the construction. After playing around a bit, I threw out the instructions but kept elements of them like sewing the side seams and the arms in a continuous line. It makes the inside look nice! I definitely prefer having diagrams in instructions. 

The design of this blouse is interesting. Half the front yoke and the full length of one tie are from a single pattern piece. This does leave a gap at the front which needs careful attention. According to the instructions, the seam allowances of the front yoke and ties are taken care off right at the beginning and then it calls for bias tape to be added all the way around the neck line. I couldn't figure this out so just added it at the back and the front. It isn't the perfect solution but it works well. 

I changed the sleeves and the cuff slightly. The design calls for a slash in the sleeve to be closed with covered buttons. I'll be honest, I was feeling far too lazy for this. After removing two inches from the length of the sleeve I added the cuffs. I can get my hands through with ease. 

I quite like this blouse, the length is just right and I can see me wearing it quite a bit in the office. It will definitely add a pop of colour to my dark trousers and I have a pair of heels that match the purple perfectly!