Friday 11 March 2011

Rabbit blouse

This 1930's pattern (Simplicity 2844) was the very first vintage pattern I acquired and it’s only the second vintage pattern I’ve made.  I won it on Debi’s giveaway and have been wittering on about sewing it for months - I kept being tempted away from the straight and narrow by all those pesky sewalongs.  Now they’re all finished, I’ve finally got the time to sit down and concentrate on it - and what a pleasure it’s been…


The front cover doesn’t do the blouse justice.  


It looks like a pretty plain piece of “sports casual” wear, but don’t be deceived by appearances, it has some delightful details which I discovered as I was sewing it.  I made a muslin first and only had to make two changes:  I extended the length of the tucks at the front to make it more fitted under the bust and took 1cm out of the back width. 

Here it is from the back
The gathered shoulders and top stitched yoke were a doddle to sew after my swing dress


The one area where I wasn’t faithful to the pattern was with the buttonholes. If I was being a good seamstress, (instead of a lazy, slapdash one) I’d have made bound buttonholes to give it that perfect period touch. Buttonholes aren’t my favourite thing at the best of times, and bound ones look so time consuming that I guiltily just made normal ones.  I finished the blouse with some vintage flower buttons from my stash.

The instructions were a delight – lovely clear steps accompanied by little illustrations. 


They were much easier to understand than some modern day patterns, even with unprinted pattern pieces.  Ah yes, unprinted pattern pieces….  when I first opened the pattern I thought, in my naivety, there had been a printing error i.e. they’d forgotten to print any writing on them.  Duh, all the relevant circles, grainlines etc are punched onto the pieces and you then work out what’s what from the instructions.  It sounds complicated but it really isn’t, it’s actually a very efficient way of printing a pattern.

Fabric-wise I used a beautiful double gauze I treated myself to before Christmas from this Japanese website. As soon as I saw it, I knew exactly what I was going to make with it because the pattern looks so 1930’s.  The print is actually little rabbits, but you can’t really make them out unless you’re close up.  

Inside view
Double gauze is a strange fabric.  It’s basically two layers of gauze held together by a grid of tiny stitches.  This particular double gauze is reversible, so the other side of the fabric looks like a negative, which I quite like.  It’s a lovely texture, somewhere between brushed cotton and linen and the drape is nice and heavy.  

A perfect match with my 1940's trousers
I really love this blouse, it’s the sort of thing I’d have jumped on if I’d seen it in a shop in the olden days (before I started sewing).  I’m very tempted to make another one immediately just because it’s so me.  I’m thinking of a greeny/blue voile with white buttons...

Thank you so much Debi for your generosity in giving away this beautiful pattern.  x




28 comments:

  1. Oooh, it's really lovely! And I love the fabric that you've chosen.

    Thank you so much for the copy of Cloth that arrived this week! So kind and you put me to shame with your posting efficiency. That little package (which hopefully will have arrived with you by now) had been sitting on my hall window waiting for a stamp for a very long time...I'm so sorry!

    Thank you, dear Jane, you are very kind!

    Wishing you a lovely weekend,
    Florence x

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  2. Jane this is soooo swoon-worthy! You probably already know I adore 1930s styles and your fabric is gorgeous! I absolutely love it and wish it was mine ;o)

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  3. What great fabric! And it came out beautifully! I have yet to make any 1930's patterns, they make me nervous!

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  4. Love it! The little bunnies are so cute!

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  5. Darling and that fabric is seriously fab! It looks very period yet you've brought it to modern day and it looks great! And what a perfect match with your trousers too! Darling!

    As for the bound buttonholes, I'm of the opinion that not everything need be so hard. Sometimes you just need to finish something to get it out and worn, you know? Maybe for your next shirt you could give them a try. Or not. He he he! Love it!

    xoxo,
    Sunni

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  6. What a lovely blouse! I've never heard of double gauze before either.

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  7. I love your fabric!!
    Great shirt!

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  8. Such a cute blouse. I love that wide collar/ neckline too, so pretty. You should also wear it open on occasion, on top of a camisole or something so you can get a flash of the lovely reverse side!

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  9. Possibly the cutest print I've ever seen! Great job.

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  10. Love it and the fabric is adorable!

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  11. ahhh! YAY! I absolutely love it! I'm so glad you used the bunny pattern (you turned me on to that fabric website by the way!) I really love this blouse on you! It looks fantastic! I especially like that the inside is the negative print!

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  12. Gorgeous! I love the fabric, like everyone else! I'm intrigued by double gauze now - I had no idea it literally was double - very cute! And I love the vintage hair x

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  13. Well done, looks great. I love the fabric

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  14. I've yet to come across double gauze with a "negative" side, very neat! This fabric reminds me of a navy one I have with little owls on it. I really want to make more tops this year so I'm taking note of patterns like these!

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  15. Well done, well done! I especially admire the fit, it's perfect! Okay and the fabric, what a nice choice. If you make another, share the pictures!

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  16. I absolutely love this!! The fabric looks so perfect with the casual blouse, just lovely.

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  17. Great pattern and fabric combo. You are right, it exceeds the promise of the pattern envelope picture! It begs to be made in a multitude of variations, too.

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  18. The blouse is great and so well made, the fabric really suits it. Have you been here? - http://www.vintagefashionlibrary.com/home
    Loads of vintage patterns. I suspect I might be the last person ever to discover it but am sharing it just in case!

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  19. That's ace fabric. Hmm i'm getting more and more tempted by that Japanese site. Do you get charged a load of import tax though? I really like the collar and the sleeves on that shirt. Nice work Jane :o)

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  20. Very sweet - I love the pattern, but even more love the fabric choice & how it suits you. Super cute!

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  21. Thank you everybody for all your wonderful comments.
    Sunni: I'm of that opinion too, I just wanted to get it finished. Bound buttonholes...maybe someday!
    Nancy: Ha, the vintage hair! Having the world's straightest hair and not being a natural hairdresser, my vintage hair is basically a hairslide (made from buttons though!)
    Trudi: Thanks for the link, I'm a regular on that website!
    Law: I didn't get charged any tax from Japan. I bought about 4 yds of fabric and the postage was around $10. Super quick delivery too, would highly recommend if you fancy treating yourself! x

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  22. Great project, that fabric is AWESOME!

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  23. That blouse is absolutely wonderful both fabric & pattern and I LOVE those pants. Have my camel wool cut out and am about to sew myself a pair. thanks for letting me know where you got your fabric. It is on my birthday wish list.

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  24. That is such a great pattern and fabric choice. If it was me I'd probably make at least three of the blouse in different prints...

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  25. Super, SUPER cute, and that fabric is FANTASTIC! Cute cute cute!

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  26. That fabric is lovely, and so is the pattern.

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