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Fitted blouse

kbalinski | Posted in Photo Gallery on

Here is the fitted blouse I just finished (deadline: tonight!) for the March contest at www.patternreview.com

I have to say, I am most proud of this garment of everything I’ve ever made.  It fits right because I made my first muslin for myself, all the seams are finished inside and out, I laid the pattern out to not only match the stripes at center front and back, and I did all the facings with organza to keep the sheerness of the chiffon stripes all the way through.

This link will take you to my pattern review and the links within that will show you the front, back, and inside seams.

If you don’t know about pattern review, it’s a wonderful, inspirational resource.  I always check the reviews there before I start a pattern, or even if I’m thinking of buying it.  Millions of pictures of wonderful garments and the great seamstresses making them.

Special thanks to my 4 yr old dd for taking my picture, as daddy wasn’t home and the contest deadline was looming!

Kristine

Replies

  1. FirecrackerKTM | | #1

    It looks great! You did a wonderful job.

  2. Josefly | | #2

    You did a very nice job on that blouse and it does fit you nicely. I think I saw some darts in the back neckline - so this pattern appears to have some nice fitting points. Like the fabric you used, too.

    And your 4-year-old is pretty good with a camera!

  3. 2tallct | | #3

    Wow, I am impressed and to do it with a 4 year old around too!  Just a beautiful job.  Was this for something special besides the contest?  What stitch is that on the seam finish?

    1. kbalinski | | #5

      The exposed seams are all serged using my Simplicity Frontier $200 bargain serger from Costco!  And the enclosed facings are all hand stitched, which I'm getting a lot faster and neater at.  I used to hurry through my projects (especially when I was a young sewist), but lately I can appreciate the end result more if I've done the job right.

      Tip:  If you have to hand stitch enclose a facing, it's easier to do if you machine stitch along the seam line first.  Not only is it easier to press down because you can see the folding line, but the machine stitches also give you an anchoring point for the hand stitches when closing the seam.

      Thanks to all for your compliments, I'm looking forward to wearing it out.

  4. rodezzy | | #4

    That is a beautiful blouse and the fit is great.  I'm inspired!  You did a great job!

  5. rekha | | #6

    The blouse is very pretty but devalued with the denim jeans. No offense meant

    1. kbalinski | | #8

      No offense taken!  Time was running out, I had just finished the blouse, and needed to photograph it and post it before the day was over.  I just threw it on with the jeans so I could get the project posted!  I would never wear it with jeans, and look forward to making coordinating pants and skirt in some black spring suiting I just picked up!

      1. Gloriasews | | #9

        Good luck in the contest!  I was just looking at all the entries & I think yours has a good chance of winning, as it turned out so well & fits perfectly.  I was disappointed, though, with the blouse that won (prior to your contest) at the beginning of the PR newsletter - it didn't look like it fitted that well at all.  That's just my opinion, though.

        Gloria

  6. Gloriasews | | #7

    Wow!  Perfect!  Wonderful job!  Your little photographer did an excellent job, too - maybe that will be a goal in life :).  Good luck in the contest.

    Gloria

  7. scrubble4 | | #10

    kbalinski:  WOW!  It is so pretty.  And then there are all those wonderful things you did to make it perfect.  Way to Go!  Scrubble4

  8. rekha | | #11

    On looking at it further and going by what Kathleen Fasanella (Fashion incubator) pointed out about  matching plaids in a Chanel jacket, I see that the dots are not aligned. And that could be bummer. I wish you the best

  9. flossie | | #12

    Congratulations - the blouse is beautiful and looks very professional

  10. User avater
    VKStitcher | | #13

    Kristine, what a beautiful blouse.  All your time and extra efforts paid off--you did an excellent job with the construction and the fitting.  You should be proud of your work!

    And your daughter is a great photographer.  I know adults that can't take a decent picture to save themselves!  :-)

  11. SAAM | | #14

    Kristine,

    Your blouse is beautiful — impeccably fitted and sewn. I love your fabric choice. I wish you well with the contest. And congratulations to your 4-year-old for taking such a great picture.

    Sherry

  12. fabricholic | | #15

    Wow, this is a beautiful blouse and sewing with sheer fabric is very brave. You could wear this inside out. Your daughter also, did a wonderful job taking this picture, crisp, clear and close-up.

  13. moira | | #16

    Your blouse is really lovely and actually I think it looks cool with jeans! And as for whether the dots are matched... I suspect it would take some serious nitpicking to find a fault there. You did a beautiful job.

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