Lemon Squeezy - red linen blouse

The other piece of fabric which sprung to mind when thinking of new blouses was the remnant from this shirt.

Using the same self-made pattern as this white broderie anglaise blouse, I simply squared off the armholes and hem, then cut bias strips for both them and the neckline.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

Bees (Butterflies?) Broderie Blouse - Butterick 6275

Some of my blouses are getting a little shabby* and need swapping out over the coming months. Mulling over the fabrics and patterns in the stash, I imediately came up with a couple of suitable combinations for newer versions.

Butterick 6275 was bought new in the 1970's as a teenager (40 years ago - ekk!). I made version A in a blue cotton seersucker way back when. This time, I made version D, plus cut a pair of button-back tabs for the sleeves. Of course, the pattern is too small for me now, so a couple of extra centimetres were added in the sleeves and side seams. I actually made this version 5 years ago in a dark sage green cotton/silk, but the fabric was awful - everything left a stain (water, sweat, food, urgh!), so didn't blog about it then.

The white cotton broderie anglaise fabric was another Sallies score - $3 for 3 metres. It has bees (or stripey butterflies? not sure what they are suppose to be) embroidered on it, which initially I felt was a little childish, however from a distance they look like spots, so I'm not concerned about them now it's made up.

Love the finished blouse, even though it's a bit see-through, I have plenty of camisoles to wear underneath.

* I cherish my clothes and look after them carefully, so even if they're "a little shabby" (imo), they're still in good nick and will be donated. 

Look! I made a ... Muumuu?

One of those occasions where I started out making one thing, but ended up with something completely different.

When I saw the batik fabric in Spotlight, I originally envisioned another one of these - a basic kaftan shirt. However, mid-September was hot and muggy, so I changed my mind. Using the same pattern - New Look 6803 - View D, I cut out a basic tunic-y style dress, shortening the sleeves, shortened the front opening (as suggested the last time I blogged about this pattern), and even managed to squeeze out a couple of pockets. But because I hadn't bought quite enough fabric for the my new bright idea, I needed to add a back yoke to bring the length to the knees. I also turned the front facing to the inside for a cleaner look.

I wore the dress a couple times before October arrived (= cold, wet and windy), and it's heaven! Cool, loose and comfy. The fabric's still a bit stiff, but given a couple more washes and wears, it will be perfect. Roll on summer!