I have been in the mood of making blouse patterns – you may notice I have posted quite some blouse patterns lately, and I am making more!
The pattern today was inspired by a design by Sezane, my favorite French brand. It features long sleeves, tight neckline with decorative lace trim, and a front yoke detail. It will look great for both office and a day out. You know I just love the elegance of French fashion!
As usual, my pattern is made in 10 sizes from XXS to 5XL, so you will find yourself a suitable size. You can also lengthen or shorten the hemline to get your desired size. Also check your size before doing anything here: SIZE GUIDE.
The pattern is made using layered PDF, please check for your desired size before printing so you won’t waste your paper. I have included a first page with many details about sizing and printing, so please first read the first page and make sure you know what size you need! If you still do not know how to print a layered PDF, please check for the printing instruction in this post: PRINTING GUIDE.
You can print this using your home printer and A4/Letter paper. I calculated the printing area so that you will be able to use either type of paper to print the pattern out perfectly. Always print the first page first and check with the test square if you are printing at the right scale before you print out the whole pattern – avoid waste of ink and waste of paper, save the earth!
Some PC may print smaller than actual size even when you choose 100% scale – I don’t know why this problem exist, but my HP laptop cannot print true to size. I have to scale up to 103% to get the right size. You may need to check with your PC to see if it prints true to size, if not, scale up a bit.
SEWING INSTRUCTION
You will need
- Fabric of your choice
- A button for the keyhole at the back
- Some nice lace trim (you can also use the same fabric as the garment)
- Scissors, pencil or fabric marker, ruler, pins
- Sewing machine/Serger or needle and thread
- Printed pattern
What fabric can be used for this project? This design is meant for woven fabric. Opt for thin, soft flowing fabric for a romantic feel, or use the same cotton eyelet fabric just as the Sezane blouse.
How much fabric do you need for this piece of garment? To be precise, you may need to check how much fabric you need before buying. It will depend on the selected pattern size, the width, and design of the fabric you plan to use. Just to be sure, print all the paper patterns and lay them out at the width of fabric you plan to use (usually from 90 to 150 centimeters or 35 to 60 inches). Measure how much fabric you will need. Don’t forget to account for pieces that need to be cut multiple times and pieces that are cut on the fold.
Cutting instruction:
After printing out and taping all the pattern pages together, you will get something similar to this image:
You will see that there are 2 sets of lines on each pattern size. The inner lines are sewing line (and you sew along these lines), and the outer lines are cutting lines (you cut the fabric along these lines, remember the folding lines where you have to fold the fabric before cutting). The distance between sewing line and cutting line is seam allowance, and it varies from point to point. For example, the side seam allowance is about 1/2 inch (1.2cm), and seam allowance at hemline is 1 inch (2.5cm). This is the reason why I do not remove the sewing lines from the pattern. Please use it as a guide to know how much seam allowance you need to give at each seam.
Fabric will be cut into following pieces:
- Front Upper: cut 1 on the fold
- Front Lower: cut 1 on the fold
- Back: cut 1 on the fold
- Sleeve: cut 2
- Back Keyhole Facing: cut 1
- Neckline Lace Trim: cut 1
Make sure to mark all notches and other design features such as darts, pleats etc. from the pattern pieces onto your fabric. When sewing the garment, pay attention to notches, they must match up.
Sewing instruction:
1. Serge/zig zag stitch the raw edge to prevent fabric from unraveling.
2. Sew two straight lines using longest stitches ¼ and 1/3 inch from the top edge of the Front Lower piece. Pull the lower threads and gather the piece until it matches the bottom edge of the Front Upper piece. Distribute the gathering evenly.
3. Place the Front Upper and Front Lower right side facing, pin and sew to join to get the Front piece.
4. Place the Back Keyhole Facing and Back piece right side facing. Pin and sew ¼ inch from the edge of the keyhole. Clip the curve, turn the facing in, topstitch to keep it in place. Iron if needed.
5. Place Front and Back pieces right side facing, pin and sew the shoulder and side seams.
6. Gather the cap of the sleeve so that it will match the armhole. Sew the side seam of the Sleeve. Sew the hem of the sleeve.
7. Turn the Sleeve inside out, place it right side facing the main garment, matching the notches and the seams. Pin and sew to attach the Sleeve to the main garment.
8. Gather the lace trim so it matches the neckline. Place the lace trim right side facing the main garment, pin and sew to join. Turn it over and staystitch the seam allowance to the main garment so that the trim will stay up.
9. Hem the blouse.
Easy? I believe you can make it within 2 hours!
And here is the download link:
Happy sewing! And don’t forget to share your project on my Facebook page: Tiana’s Closet Sewing Patterns
Tiana
