Wardrobe - Blouse with cap sleeves

I have had this fabric for a VERY long time. And when the wardrobe plans started looking like black and off-white, I rummaged around to find it.

I tried to do the Winifred Aldrich grown on cap sleeves adaptation to my bodice pattern. However, it asks you to raise the pattern at the shoulder end, lengthen it, as well as drawing a line up from the side seam.

Well.

Not sure how a crisp woven would work doing that, but basically I ended up with drooping fabric ...almost cowl-like...between neck and shoulder.

So, I darted the fullness into the neck. It worked, and carries a theme from the black knit top! It isn't really obvious because the play of light on the polyester jacquard effect fabric.

I sewed the blouse with French seams because the fabric shreaded whispy threads that have got onto everything. (Besides my dry rough hands catching on everything.) So, I stitched the button stands on and then tried it on to see how it fit.

Okay, I knew I had enlarged the base pattern, but somehow this would fit me with a couple more stone weight!

Then whilst I was doing the pleat neck thing and trying to work out how I was going to sort the toooo large bit. I realised, Oh. French seams.

I had done the first pass as was required wrong sides together with a narrow seam (I used the overlocker for this because of the whisps), then turn to right sides together and enclose the edges of the seam. So, I realised when I sewed the button stand on with the overlocker, I had done overlock pass right next to the edge, like I did for the first pass of the French seams. So, if you included the Seam allowances on the button stands and also on the blouse, it was something like over 4 cm too much. So, I went back at it and stitched them for the normal 1.5cm seam allowance and voila! It fit.

Phew.

Basic side dart pattern with several adaptations to get it be grown on/cut on cap sleeves a la Winifred Aldrich.

I finished the blouse with some of the buttons from a random pack I bought at a show, and whilst watching cooking shows have stitched beads round the collar and down the bodice sides of the button stand.

Oh, and hey! No problems with stitching the button holes!

And can you imagine this with the lacy black jacket over? I will show you when I get some photos wearing it.