Today I had planned a sewing day, nothing else to interrupt me… Hmm. Unfortunately, due to my over-running admin duties the housework had suffered a bit of neglect, so what I had hope to get done today will have to wait a bit. Last night I picked a length of viscose from my stash and paired it with a self drafted pattern that I last (first) used in 2014.
I’d always intended to make more than just that first blouse from the pattern, but somehow there was always something else to make first/instead. The original top had tucks on the front yoke and down the buttonband. I decided to skip those on the viscose. The pattern on the fabric is just too busy and the tucks would be lost. I think on a bigger pattern they would look better. I also decided to forgo the hidden buttonband. I have some rather nice vintage black buttons in the button stash, and it would be a shame to cover them up!
I’m French seaming the inside and burrito’ed the yokes. I did have a little “what do I do here” moment, trying to remember how I’d put it all together the last time. In the end, this was the order of work I went with:
- Sew the darts
- gather front and back and sew into yokes
- sew shoulder seams on blouse and inner yokes
- sew inner yoke to blouse
- interface upper collar & sew to under collar
- staystitch neckline
- sew collar to blouse
- trim collar seam to 5mm
- sew 2.5cm bias strip to trimmed seam with 5mm allowance
- fold strip over and press down, stitch through all layers
- sew side seams
- attach buttonbands to fronts
- sew hems
- edgestitch buttonbands
- construct sleeves
- insert sleeves
- sew buttonholes and attach buttons.
I’ve just got the buttonholes and buttons to go, that I’ll do tomorrow morning, before the next batch of admin hits! In fact, I think I’ll wait to start the computer up and check the email until the sewing is done! I’m really looking forward to wearing this with the trousers I made last week, as well as my range of Birkin Flares. I have more pieces of viscose in the stash that have been waiting rather patiently for me to get round to them. I think I need to pay them attention, I do like wearing visose!
THE COMPULSIVE SEAMSTRESS 
This viscose looks yummy – can’t wait to see those buttons!
(I love wearing viscose/rayon, too. 😍)
I finally have photos of the finished blouse, will get round to a post soon!
Oooo, goodie! ! !
It’s a sad truth that life often gets in the way of sewing (and other enjoyable pastimes). Hope you finished what looks like a great blouse.
So true! And yes, it’s done the job I needed it to do!
Yes I just made 2 shirts. One of a unexpensive but pretty viscose and one of a lovely pricier organic cotton hemp. Even though the cotton will soften with age, the viscose shirt’s drape is so much more feminine and will be worn more. Good lesson for me in choosing future shirt fabrics.
It’s a lesson we all have to learn, cotton hemp sounds lovely!