Wide Cuff Blouse Variation

I originally made the Wide Cuff Blouse in a blue silk charmeuse (minus the ruffles down the front that were called for in the pattern), and I think it turned out okay. Since then, I made a variation using the base blouse pattern and adding a few details from another pattern. For the variation, I used a cotton fabric in a beautiful plum color.



Here's the original blouse line drawing from the January 2009 issue of Burda:

Image from here.

Construction is pretty straightforward, as the sleeves are sewn in straight rather than set in to the armhole and the wide cuff eliminates the need for a sleeve vent or placket. For the variation blouse, I removed the center front ruffles and the cuff buttons (folded them up instead) and added a ruffle at the hem. I also added channels along the dart lines in the front and back with a tie that gathers the channels. Each tie is secured with a black button. Here's the Burda pattern that I used for the channels and the ruffle:

Image from here.

The channels are on the back as well:



Here are close-ups of the channels and the folded cuff. For some reason the colors turned out funky!





It was fun to take elements from a different design and experiment to see if they would work on a different style.

Happy Thanksgiving!

There is much to be thankful for this year in our household --- it has been quite a year. I think we'll take a cue from Simon and spend the weekend like this (except not on top of a bookcase full of Burda magazines!)...

Proven - Cats Love Yarn

Since I've had some hand issues in the past few months, I haven't done much knitting, so Simon hadn't been introduced to my yarn --- until now.

Well, now I know why cats and yarn have always been linked. When I sit down with my knitting, he is transfixed. His patience is astounding --- I didn't know cats could be so focused.



Soon, he can't resist temptation. He reaches out a paw and goes for it.



Failure sinks in. He tries another angle, this time by jumping onto the couch and initiating a stare-down with his prey.



Opportunity seized, but only for a brief moment.



His curiosity has only been partially satiated when the yarn is taken away. He will have to wait another day.

Wide Cuff Blouse - Finished

I finished the silk charmeuse version of the Wide Cuff Blouse (aka Ruffle Blouse sans the ruffle) from the January 2009 issue of Burda World of Fashion magazine.



Without the ruffle, the front is plain, but I think it will be more versatile for work. I love the feel of the silk and the blue/gray color. The drop shoulder style is very comfortable and the box-pleated sleeves and wide cuffs lend interest to the blouse. There are no darts but the bodice is shaped at the side seams. I enclosed all of the seams using french and mock french seams and hand-hemmed the bottom edge. I used a fusible interfacing for the collar, cuffs and front facings.



This was my first garment using silk charmeuse. I've used this fabric for jacket linings, but I have to admit that I'm not very careful when it comes to sewing linings because I know they are linings! So for this effort, I really tried to be careful with my sewing. It was challenging because the fabric is slippery. Using a rotary cutter was amazing and I ended up using a lot of pins and sewing slowly. I'll definitely sew this fabric again because I love the look and feel, but it requires time to get it right.

I made some mistakes on this one that I'll have to fix on my next version:

1. The distance from the cuff edge to the buttonhole is too wide so I'll have to decrease the distance.
2. I should have tried the blouse on and marked the fullest point of my bust on the front band (for buttonhole placement). I didn't do that, so the button is placed slightly higher than where it should be.



Luckily for me, I didn't have many pattern alterations for this blouse.

1. With a drop shoulder style, I needed to be careful that the drop wasn't too far down my arm. I ended up decreasing the shoulder line by 1 inch, front and back, which worked out well for me.
2. The wide cuff, combined with the drop shoulder, meant that there wasn't a lot of sleeve, which is fine if you have long arms, but with my short little arms, I needed to shorten the cuff by 1.5 inches. The original pattern called for 4 buttons, but I felt it was too wide for me, so I cut it down to 3 buttons.
3. I also decreased the width of the sleeve by about 1 inch so it wouldn't be overwhelming on me.





Overall, I'm really happy with the outcome, and will definitely make a version with the ruffle --- just need to find the right fabric for it!

Snoods Are Hot Right Now

Snoods are everywhere this season, according to this article in the WSJ.

As a knitter, I've heard the term before, as there have been many versions out there for us hand knitters. But it came as a surprise to me to see the snood highlighted in the WSJ and even in a recent issue of Lucky magazine as a fashion statement piece for the season. It came as an even greater surprise to learn that snoods were also known as hairnets in the 1940s. While some are renaming the snood as "infinity scarves" and "circle scarves", I kind of like the weird, Dr. Seuss-esque term --- makes it fun in an anti-fashion and nerdy sort of way.

Image from here.

Thank You and a Candy Break

Thank you for your helpful suggestions regarding the wide cuff blouse. I think your comments were right on --- the ruffles look dense, heavy and too uniform compared to the original and the use of a solid vs. a print may be impacting the look as well. My fashion fabric is a solid silk charmeuse, so while it is much drapier than the cotton, I've decided to nix the ruffles and save the look for another time and another fabric. The front will be plain without the ruffles, but the wide cuffs and pleated sleeves will add some interest, I think. I'll post a photo when I'm finished.

To console myself for having to make the tough decision to forego the ruffles, I found this great article on making handmade versions of classic candies --- love those peanut butter cups!

Image from here.

To Ruffle or Not

I've been working on this blouse for a class I'm taking and am not quite sure the ruffles will work for me. The pattern is from the January 2009 issue of Burda World of Fashion.



I made a wearable muslin using cotton fabric but stopped after I sewed the ruffles in. For some reason, I'm just not liking those ruffles, which is odd for me, because I usually love ruffles. Perhaps they are too wide? Or are they too gathered? The photo below kind of reminds me of a tux shirt from the 70s! Any thoughts are appreciated.