The Puzzle Blouse

So named because the fabric reminds me of a crossword puzzle.   The pattern was a bit befuddling, too.  And the end result is ambiguous, at best.

What's a three letter word for shoddy, quick construction?  Dubious fabric?  Questionable silhouette?

 

Meh.

I like this blouse.  There's just a few things to fix before I actually wear it out and about.  And I'm not entirely sold on the silhouette from the side view.   Is a large bow on your belly a good look?  I dunno.  I don't hate it.  It's kind of fun and quirky.

This is 12/2011 blouse with bow #119 from Burdastyle magazine.   I was curious about their tall patterns, which is part of the reason I made this one up.  I'm not exceptionally tall but I'm definitely on the taller side of average.  I'm 5'9" (175 cm) and I find that I'm in between regular sizing and tall sizing in ready to wear.  Normal rtw clothes are always a tiny bit too short and tall sizing is always a bit too long.   So I was curious about the length in a Burda tall pattern.  The verdict?  The hem length is nice.  I didn't notice any difference in sleeve length-- I took the tiniest baby hem there.  But I do feel like the length from shoulder to bust is too long for me.   Though it could have something to do with the deep v-neck.  Super deep.  I knew it was going to be low, but it actually hits below where my bra sits in the front.  If you are wondering why the v-neck looks a little off in the photos of me wearing the blouse, it's because I hand basted it closed about four inches.  There's a lumpy bit where the facing meets in the middle.  I'm debating whether I should unpick the facing and raise the neckline or just wear it with a camisole underneath.  The photos on the dress form are the unaltered neckline.

 

I ignored the suggestion of a stiffer blouse fabric and used a clingy, drape-y rayon in my stash.   I actually thrifted this fabric.  The bow would be more sculptural in a stiffer fabric.  And that could be fun.  But I'm working on cutting down the dreaded stash.  The thinner fabric also caused all sorts of pull wrinkles from tying the bow in front.  And my inverted pleat is pretty lame.  Ah well.  I was on a mission to finish a project (finally), so I let a few things slide.

As far as the construction goes, I was pleasantly surprised with how it all came together.  The front pattern piece looked totally foreign to me with the ties attached initially.   But once I sewed the first seam, it was apparent how it all came together and I could bypass the notoriously sparse Burda instructions.   One major difference in my version is that my bow does not wrap around and tie in the back.  I could not find the tie extension piece on the pattern sheet for the life of me.  I found what I thought was the right piece and traced it, but it didn't fit.  So I left it off.  This is the length of the bow without the extension piece.  Below is a photo of how it looks wrapped around the front and tied in the back.  There is a dress version of this blouse in the same issue and they show it tied like this.  I like it this way, too.  The only alteration I made to the pattern was to lower the back neckline about 3/4", which is a standard alteration for me now.  I meant to do a square shoulder adjustment when I sewed the shoulder seams but forgot.  Don't seem to need it in this drape-y fabric.

 

It's a nice and unusual blouse pattern.  I enjoyed the construction.   It's always fun to piece something together that is different from anything you've sewn before.  Just a little tweaking of the neckline and it will be a properly wearable garment.  Man, it feels good to finally finish something!  I have so many projects in the works, but I can't seem to complete anything.   What's that called, start-itis?  Yeah, I have that.  Time to get a move on and finish some things up.  Someone motivate me, please.

 

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week.

Happy sewing!