Floral Blouse

Pattern: BurdaStyle's Printed Blouse 08/2012 #109
Fabric: 1.5 yds London Calling Lawn Deco Bloom Vintage (link may expire)
Cost: $16


How do you sew with a friend who lives 2,000 miles away?? You order up the same fabric, of course! Meli contacted me last summer about doing something fun together, and we finally decided on being fabric twinsies by buying the beautiful London Calling in Bloom Vintage from Fabric.com. Isn't it gorgeous?! The plan was to each pick our own pattern for the same fabric, and reveal the results when we were all done.

But then, after spending all summer choosing this light and airy fabric, we ended up leaving it until the Polar Vortex hit the US to sew it up. Why, of course we would need summer clothes when temperatures are dipping to negative 40 degrees across the country! Lucky for me though, Northern California is more immune to weather phenomena with ridiculous names, and it was a (relatively) balmy 52 degree morning when I snapped these photos with my jacket off. I can't say it ever got that warm for Meli... No matter, we'll just call it our early spring collection!



For my project, I wanted to balance out the bright and busy print with a simple design. I chose BurdaStyle's Printed Blouse 08/2012 #109 (which I'd had my eye on for a while) because it's a great woven top with just enough darts to provide shape. If you're anything like me, you're always on the lookout for a great blouse pattern to sew up all your beautiful cottons in!

Before starting, I stalked the other users who had made the project and decided that it did need a few modifications. For one, BurdaStyle seems to be overly fond of droopy, batwing-type sleeves, which must be popular in Europe or something. To fix this, I redrafted the armscye and sleeve head using the Scout pattern. As a I sewed, I also removed excess fabric by shortening the length and adding some additional waist shaping, making sure I could still slip it over my head. Finally, I shortened the sleeves, because 3/4 length is my favorite. The resulting blouse fits me surprisingly well, and I hope to use this pattern again sometime. Mark that as a win for BurdaStyle!


As I sewed, I listened to my some new tunes courtesy of Meli, who sent over a mix for just the purpose. Isn't she the sweetest?! The songs were upbeat and happy, perfect for this fabric. Here's happy me showing off how I get to work:


After wearing the blouse all day, it is surprisingly comfortable, and doesn't chaff mostly doesn't chaff or feel too tight, which was the bane of several of my previous attempts at woven blouses. Even Mr. K gave it the seal of approval.

The cherry on top was that I got to use my brand new camera to photograph the project at the lake. It also looks like I may have a new blog photographer! (I think he's a sucker for a nice camera...)


Thanks Meli for coordinating this great success! You can check out what she made over at Codos on the Windowsill.

14 comments:

  1. Really pretty fabric, and great choice on the simple design. It really showcases the fabric. I also love the little sewing partnership, great idea!

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  2. Love it! Love your updates to your blog and I love the cheat sheets you made for different seam finishes. Some of those are on my try list so it's great to have. Love seeing all your stuff looking forward to this coming year!

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    1. Thanks! Up next is that archer you sent me. It's all cut out and ready for assembly!!

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  3. That's so pretty! I agree with Debbie that the simple blouse shape is perfect for such beautiful fabric.

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  4. Your project turned out so cute!! I love that our projects are a little similar. I guess this fabric really just speaks for itself!

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    1. Great shots and a beautiful blouse. Post Meli's project, too! And your top will be plenty warm with the 70º-80º weather we are experiencing.

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  5. What a pretty blouse and I love the pic of you wearing it on your bike.

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  6. Cute! Love the idea - and great photos! :)

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  7. Great top, love the fabric! And what a great idea to see how both of you use the fabric.

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  8. What a great idea. I love how your top turned out.

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  9. Wow, that is so cute, I've been trying to adapt the Scout pattern into a blouse just like that. Did you includes any closures? F.Y.I. I notice that in the top you may have a slight forward shoulder on the right side though it might also be the way you're standing.

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  10. Aw, what a great idea! The blouse is so cute and I'm in LOVE with your bicycle!!

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    1. It's a Citizen folding bike. I definitely bought it for the colors!

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