Written by Working with a small piece of fabric has become my new favorite challenge, and this blouse is no exception.
This piece of gingham is the remaining fabric from a dress. All the cutouts had made it into the pile of scraps, but they were not big enough to be considered suitable for a new project, nor small enough to be sent for recycling. I decided to keep them as I needed to test myself. I washed and ironed them again, planning in my mind what to do with them.
Laying them on my cutting table, I noticed that I didn’t have enough fabric to create a bodice or a back. So, I took my blouse pattern and started playing with some designs, creating a new pattern based on my fabric.
I know I’ve been talking obsessively about my new pattern, but I love it so much that I plan to use it for many projects.
As a background, I decided that buying new patterns and testing my size each time on separate fabrics was a waste of energy and resources. So, I bought the book “Metric Pattern Cutting for Women’s Wear” by Winifred Aldrich and created a block pattern from which I started to play and create new designs. This book taught me how to measure myself and how to create a block pattern. With a little help from the book “The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fitting” by Sarah Veblen, I’ve managed to create one that I’m very happy with.
This decision improved my creativity, forcing me to come up with new designs and approach garment construction in a new way.
I think that the blouse I’ve created is very feminine. I love the trim details, and the sleeves started growing on me. Initially, I challenged myself to make it with long sleeves, but as I said, I didn’t have enough fabric to cut full-length ones, so I had to be creative.
All the details make this blouse feel like a piece of jewellery. It’s so easy to dress it up or down, but especially down, matching it with a pair of Converse. It’s like a dream. The biggest compliment I received while wearing this blouse is that I look small. I know that may sound like a bad thing, but it is referred to as literally small.
Anca GV 