Pattern review - gingham blouse

Pattern description

BWOF 06/2008/105A. Blouse with extended shoulders and side seam gathers at waist level.

Pattern sizing

38-46. I cut the 44, made a 1.5cm FBA and curved in the CB seam 1cm at the waist.

Fabric used

Black and white gingham with black cotton for the yoke, collar stand and upper collar, and placket facing.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope when you were done?

Yep pretty much (but in a different fabric obviously!)

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yep, very straightforward. This pattern was the special feature "sewing course", so the instructions were much more in-depth than usual. It's super simple to make though so you don't need to study the instructions too much.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I like the way the darts are rotated into the waist gathers - as well as being very comfortable to wear, it also does interesting things to the grainlines, so it's especially nice made up in something with stripes. The pattern is drafted with just a single layer yoke (i.e. no facing/lining piece). I kept it like this as I didn't want too much bulk (the main body of the blouse is in very lightweight gingham, but it would be simple to add this if you wanted a more traditional finish.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made

I made a 1.5cm FBA, rotating the extra fullness partly into the front shoulder gathers and mainly into the waist gathers, and scooped in the CB seam at the waistline to compensate for my narrow lower back. I divided the placket into top and facing, and cut out the top part and the under collar on the bias for visual interest. I used the pleats on the sleeves from view B as without them the wide sleeves looked a bit weird on me. I left off the front loop and tie band as I knew I would be wearing it with a purchased belt, or tucked in.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

I would definitely recommend it for a cute and interesting blouse that's super quick to sew up. I doubt I'll sew it again in the near future as I have many other tops I want to sew!

Conclusion

I'm very pleased with this blouse. It was super easy to make (and I was especially pleased with the ease it went together as this was my first attempt at a stand collar), and very nice to wear. The gingham was a good choice of fabric as it's light and summery, and it can be styled a number of ways.