Friday, August 5, 2022

The latest installment in my quest for the perfect blouse

I admit, I'm picky. For me the perfect blouse is fitted, with a nice curvy shape that skims my hourglass/pear figure, and definitely avoids the poufy back issue. Sleeves must have a comfy fit with a full range of motion, and the blouse should look good on its own or layered with jumper dresses and cardigans.

I'm less specific about the details. Sleeves from short to 3/4" to full, necklines from V to round, and collars of any kind or none. 

My latest version in this quest is made from an amazing Indian cotton. Ochre-yellow with hand-screenprinted birds and foliage.


I used all my favorite sewing techniques; French seams are everywhere I could put them and I hand-finished the inner cuffs, collar, and front bands.

The pattern is Butterick 6816. I blended sizes between the bust, waist, and hip and made a full bust adjustment to make this blouse fit me just right! 


I am 95% pleased with the fit; there are still some drag lines I'd like to eliminate, but overall it's looking pretty good. And I love the cute sleeve vent detail.


The slight color difference is from my phone vs. my real camera; in reality the color is more toward the citron/greeny tone.

I have already cut out another one of these and can't wait to sew it up!