Hi everyone,
Its Amanda (aka @amanda_isewalot) and I am back today with another post for the Lamazi Blog.
When I saw this fabric I immediately knew it would be perfect for what I had in mind. The fabric is Sketching All Nations Sunset Tencel and it is a high-twist lawn fabric. The fabric has great fluidity and is perfect for any kind of blouse.
I decided the perfect pattern would be the Republique Du Chiffon Juliette Blouse as it has a nod to the 70s with its rounded collar and sleeve cuffs. I think it gives it a slightly more feminine look when made from a fabric with drape but would be perfect in a cotton to wear with jeans.
In terms of construction this is a pretty straightforward shirt pattern as it doesn’t have a collar stand and there is no yoke to worry about. It has quite a relaxed fit but I found the shoulders to be the perfect size for me and the bust darts in the correct place.
There are a few things to bear in mind for this pattern the first being it doesn’t include seam allowance so that is something you need to add. The instructions need to be read in detail before you start as the hem seam allowance is different to the rest. There are also no finished measurements included on the pattern so you will need to measure the pattern to check it will fit and has your desired amount of ease.
I would say this is not a pattern for a beginner as the instructions are pretty sparse. If you have made a few shirts before you will be fine as I hardly looked at the instructions as all but I would not recommend the pattern if this is your first shirt. The other thing I found is that there were hardly any notches on the pattern at all. This was fine generally as everything went together pretty well but it would have been handy to have notches on the sleeve pieces and armscye to help with setting in the sleeve as there is some gathering there.
I found the shirt to come up quite long as I added 1” for the hem but actually ended up chopping off 2.5”.
The fabric was slightly tricky to cut out due to it being quite lightweight but a joy to sew with I didn’t have any issues with it at all. It pressed really nicely and actually was a lot more stable to sew than I had expected. I didn’t have any issues with pulls in the fabric as I used a really fine needle and made sure it was brand new so nice and sharp.
The only thing I am slightly disappointed about with this shirt is that due to the fabric being quite lightweight i should have used a lighter interfacing as it is slightly wavy at the bottom of the facing due to it having more structure than the rest of the shirt. I used a light interfacing but should have gone with an extra lightweight one.
I really love the shirt and am looking forward to wearing it tucked into trousers and skirts with a cardigan during the autumn as I think the colour definitely has an autumnal feel. I love the abstract print on the fabric which gives some interest but is quite subtle.
Anyway that’s it from me.
Happy sewing.
Amanda xx