Embroidered cotton blouse - New Look 6808

Moonstone silver necklace from Jaipur, India.

Springtime last year, I had a brain-fade when I couldn't locate several summer tops (including this, this and this), and convinced myself they had be donated to charity in a wild KonMari decluttering session. They duly turned up in a suitcase (I hear you tut-tutting, Marie!), but by then I had already bought replacement fabric from Morelands to make another embroidered cotton blouse.

New Look 6808 was in my pattern stash, and I made this blouse using view D/E, minus the collar. Sleeves are shortened view A. By eliminating the waist darts, I'm able to pull it over my head, so I also got rid of the centre back seam and zip. As the fabric is quite transparent, the blouse is lined with cotton voile, which is cut to the neckline to avoid facing seams showing through. Finally, to make the most of the gorgeous scalloped selvedges, everything is cut with the straight-of-grain on the cross.

One annoyance was the embroidery on the fabric was inconsistent. I recut the front neckline slightly where this was particlarly evident, as one side had noticeably more lattice than the other. I also hand-basted the side seams before machining, because the embroidery pattern needed a bit of easing here and there in order to line up.

In Aotearoa, we've been enjoying the most glorious, extended summer (a real joy after a bitter winter), so it's been a blessing having more than one cotton blouses at hand. And yes, Marie, they all "Spark Joy".