Pattern Review: In House Patterns Blossom Blouse

The In House Blossom pattern had been languishing in my stash for well over a year but after recently scoring a yard of Nancy Ann Liberty of London fabric, I knew I had to try it out.

I love Liberty Tana Lawn fabric but due to the cost, don’t get to sew with it as much as I would like. As soon as I saw this fabric on eBay, I remembered where I had seen it before…on Mad Men!

I may not be as beautiful or famous as Betty Draper, aka January Jones, but I think my interpretation came out well!  If you ever have the opportunity to try In House Patterns, give them a whirl. This is actually my second In House pattern. The first was the Cool Cowl reviewed here and I think you will find their patterns to be easy to follow and fairly quick makes.

Pattern Details: Size ranges from 32 to 42 bust so I graded up to a 48. I also increased the waist and hip pieces by grading out the side seams. All In House Patterns are pdf only which in my opinion makes grading much easier.

Things I liked about the pattern:

1. Instructions were very clear and logical
2. Grading was easy due to the pattern piece layout
3. No FBA required because the pattern can be printed in A, B, C, or D cup sizes!!!

Things I struggled with:

1. Sleeves! Since my upper arms were far outside the size range, I initially tried to grade up with zero success.
2. I later tried tulip sleeves but could not make them fit comfortably so I finally gave up and made some bias tape from my remaining fabric and opted for a sleeveless version.
3. The front curve at the neckline ended up a bit wonky due to my less than perfect cutting. This type of neckline requires PRECISE cutting to remain even. My solution was to make some ties so there is a keyhole detail instead of a simple vee. I actually ended up liking my final version better than the original so my “design feature” worked out!

Outfit Along with Lladybird and Untangling Knots

The daring duo of Andi and Lauren have cooked up a fun group activity for us knitters and sewers called the Outfit Along. Starting this weekend, we will be knitting Andi’s newest sweater pattern, Myrna, and making a coordinating dress. Lauren suggests Simplicity 1803 but does allow for other patterns so long as they work with the sweater to create a complete outfit.

 

I love Andi’s designs so immediately determined the sweater was a perfect match for my style. I will be using Cascade 220 in a bright yellow from my Yarn Crawl 2013 stash.

Instead of Simplicity 1803, I’m going to use the Christine Hayne’s Emery pattern which has been in my stash since it came out last year. There are so many wonderful examples of this dress pattern and one of my favorite bloggers, Roisin, used this pattern many times and the finished garments are always lovely!

I am enamored with royal blue and bright yellow color combos, so I’m finally going to be brave enough to cut into my Liberty of London blue rose lawn. After seeing Jane’s gorgeous shirt dress in the same fabric, I knew I wanted a similar dress. Hopefully my sewing efforts will do this wonderful pattern and fabric justice! Anyone else planning to join the Outfit Along?

Jennifer Lauren Afternoon Blouse Pattern Review

First I must apologize for being remiss in naming the winners of the Kate and Rose hot iron transfers so without further delay, they are Bea and Anneke! Please send me your mailing addresses and I will get them in the mail post haste!

Now onto my review of the first pattern from Jennifer Lauren Vintage: The Afternoon Blouse. I was immediately sold after seeing Jane and Tasha’s versions. The Afternoon Blouse is loosely based on a 1940’s style blouse with kimono sleeves and a front closure. The pattern is aptly named as even for a slow sewer like me, I still finished within a few hours.

The pattern is sold in pdf format and unlike most pdf patterns, is tiled so you don’t have to print all the pieces at once. This is especially helpful since there are two front closure variations. I chose to make the rounded front closure version and only had to make a slight grade to the bust area to fit my 48″ bust measurements. Since the blouse is intended to fit over your head without zippers or buttons, the overall shape is loose. I am a pear shape so the shape fit wonderfully without significant changes.

I also love the fact that there are only four pattern pieces: front, back, neck facing, and front facing. It took me about an hour to put the pattern together, make my grading changes, and cut the pieces out. Jen’s instructions are super clear and easy to follow and with the exception of the bottom of the front closure being a bit “fiddly”, the blouse was a joy to sew.

I enjoyed making the blouse so much, I made two! The first one used some rose suiting from my stash and the second was made from a yard of Liberty of London Wiltshire. Since I only had a yard the facings were some white lining from my stash.  These blouses also cover my April challenge over at The Monthly Stitch which required me to sew at least two versions of the same pattern. Even though I have sewn two,  I see more Afternoon Blouses in my future!