Blouse

Hello friends!

A dear school chum of mine recently came by with an interesting request.
She held up a well-loved blouse (replete with signs of wear) and asked if I could duplicate it.

WHO AM I TO REFUSE SUCH A CHALLENGE???

OF COURSE I SHALL TAKE IT ON.

And, in the process, discovered what a well made blouse it was, originally. It took simply aaaages to pull apart at the seams!

Garment Data:
- Type: Modern blouse
- Date made: Summer 2014
- Pattern: The original blouse I was to mimic
- Fabric/Materials: a cotton+ stretch poplin
- Trim: none/self fabric
- Time to finish: 9.5 hours, including dis-assembly, tracing, pattern making, cutting, and assembly

Tracing parts after they've been disassembled. I traced them onto brown paper, and eventually used marker to note seam allowances, pleats, grainlines, etc., as well as which piece it was.

 

The blouse starting to come together. It consists of 1 back piece and 2 pieces for each side of the front, at this point, with the sleeves, cuffs, and 4-piece collar added later.

 

Every seam on the blouse was flat-felled! Completely brilliant - impossible to take apart! Also means that once I put it back together, the new blouse has a very finished look and is probably smooth and comfy to wear.

 

The inside, before the sleeves. Doesn't actually look that different from the outside, due to the flat-felled seams.

 

The shaping pleats/tucks on the back, pre-ironing. Interestingly, a design feature of the original blouse was that the pleats/tucks were visible on the outside back of the blouse.

 

Attaching the collar. It has rounded points, and is sewn in 4 pieces, 2 for the collar itself, and 2 for the collar band, plus some interfacing for stiffening.

 

Completed blouse, sans buttons...

...and with buttons:

 

And the hidden lower button placket:

Hope my friend enjoys!!!

Most sincerely yours,
~ Sarah

Blue Apron

Guess what?? I finally finished the apron I've been meaning to make for ages!

Garment Data:
- Type: 1860s-style apron
- Date made: spring 2014
- Pattern: Elizabeth Stewart Clark's apron pattern
- Fabric/Materials: blue plaid 100% cotton "homespun" from JoAnn's - so, nothing fancy, and it has a "dishrag" soft texture
- Trim: none
- Time to finish: a few days of on-and-off work

This apron has only 1 machine-sewn seam. I did the rest by hand. This allowed me to do it as a portable project.
I also left the sides unhemmed, since they are the selvages.

The bottom hem. This is the only machine-seam I did - when I thought I'd have enough time to just sit down and whip the thing together! Turns out I had better luck (and, most assuredly, a better result) by doing it as handwork on the go.

A close-up of the machine hem. Hard to see, because I was being my usual self with plaids/stripes and was matching them! Actually, the machine-sewn hem is the least-accurately plaid-matched seam. You'll actually find plaid-matching through-out this piece, which means that even the pockets are fairly stealth!

The stealth pockets, pinned in place, for location (i.e., lining up the stripes). I then actually hemmed the pockets separately and then stitched them onto the front of the apron.
Since this was an apron I really wanted to wear soon, I actually end up wearing the apron at the Memorial Day reenactment in Painesville, and pinning and sewing the pockets while wearing it!

The pinner, pre-attachement. I attached it so I can easily fold it down behind the apron and wear it as though there is no pinner. Versatility! And yes, when I wear the apron, the pinner (the bib part of the apron) is actually pinned up to my dress, instead of having a loop around my neck or some-such.

 

Waistband, pinned and pre-sewing. The pleating of the apron is encased in the waistband, and then beyond the apron, the waistband turns into ties like in this picture.

 

 

The apron! No pockets or pinner (bib) yet in this picture.

 

A close-up of the pleated apron encased in the waistband. Note the second row of stabilizing stitching, so the pleating remains crisp and visible in what is otherwise a very floppy fabric (but great for wiping hands on).


... And below, the apron in action, with the pinner (bib) pinned up, and the pockets sewn on! It's very long, so it protects my dress well, and I really like how it turned out!
Things to change next time I make this pattern: maybe try a crisp cotton, or make it (just very very slightly) shorter. And make the ties way longer!! There is a short little bow in the back but long ties would be much easier. Let's be honest: I just want an excuse to have another apron or three in other prints!
(This picture taken at Fort Meigs in Perrysburg, Ohio.)

Most sincerely yours,
~ Sarah