Thursday, February 16, 2012

Vogue 8747

Woven blouses are hard! I feel as though I am reasonably good at this sewing thing, and I have successfully fitted knit tops, jeans, jackets, pants, skirts and coats, but I have yet to make a woven blouse that fit *perfectly*. I have come close, and I've made some very wearable pieces, but that holy grail of the top that skims my bumps while still being closely fitted and in which I can raise my arms and move without restriction - well, it hasn't happened. This one is close though.
The pattern is Vogue 8747, which is your basic princess seamed blouse but with gathers into the button band at the level of the bust and a shaped neckline.
You can see the details a little better in this shot on Sandra Dee. The pattern includes cup sizes, which meant I didn't have to do an FBA - bonus. For fit, I basically just blended between sizes to get what I wanted. The front shoulder and neckline area are a size 10, which I blended out to a 12 in front to accommodate my hips. In back, where I am more broad shouldered, I cut the neckline at a size 10, then extended the shoulder line out to a 12 and blended up to a 14 below the waist to cover the booty. I am reasonably happy with the resulting shape and the fit is pretty good. I can move my arms forward, which is always an issue for me in fitted tops, but I can't raise them up fully. I wonder if I need to cut the armscye higher to give me more freedom of movement there?
The fabric I used was a very lightweight voile from Fabric Mart. It was lovely to sew, but it is a bit sheer and has a very soft hand. I didn't want my interfacing to show through or to alter the lovely hand of the garment, so instead I used an additional layer of the fashion fabric as my interfacing for the collar, cuffs and front button bands. I love it. The color isn't effected and the fabric is so soft and pliable. I wouldn't do this with a blouse I wanted to be crisp, but I love it here.
The color isn't quite right in this shot - the collar image above is closer to real life. It is a very saturated blue based teal. Just gorgeous. The pattern called for a lot of topstitching to enclose the collar, bands and cuff. Normally this is how I do my shirts, but I didn't want to topstitch this. I just loved how polished it looked without the topstitching. I know you'll be shocked, but I actually hand sewed them all down. It turned out beautifully and I am so happy I spent the extra time to do it.
The bust gathers and shaped neckline were what drew me to this pattern in the first place. I love the shaping the gathers provide and the neckbands are very graceful and feminine. Love it.
This is a closer representation of the color. I really love it. You can also see how softly the collar falls in this shot. It has a very gentle curve, which I think fits in well with the femininity of this blouse without being overtly girlie.
I finished it Valentine's Day, so I got to wear it to Mazza on a date with my honey. I wore it with my BWOF 04/2009-118 pants, leopard print calfskin pumps, and brown coated rayon jacket. I love this jacket so much and really wish I could find some coated rayon to copy it. It has a very leather like appearance, but breathes much better than pleather. I love how the blouse provides a flash of color in an otherwise neutral outfit. I think it will be a major player in the wardrobe. I actually made it as a wearable muslin for my white blouse, and it is definitely going to get worn!

23 comments:

Lynneb said...

that is such a great pattern, isn't it? love the blouse, love the color, and it looks great on you!

Amy said...

Cute top and I like the color. While I haven't joined in Lori's basic sew along I'm taking notes from everyone's projects. This will make a great white button down.

Lisa said...

It's a gorgeous colour but a real shame about the armscye. The armscye doesn't look that low from what I can tell. I hope you figure it out.

Tanit-Isis said...

To be honest, I think you nailed it fit-wise. In a woven, there's always a trade-off between fit and freedom of movement---the extra space required for a complete range of movement creates folds we may not want to look at in a blouse for the office. My usual test for wovens is if I can put my hands on my hips without seriously distorting things, which from your photos it looks like you can do just fine (if not, though, by all means raise the armscye!).

That is a really lovely style... :)

Cindy said...

It's a fabulous blouse, Katie! I think the cut is very flattering on you and it looks like it fits perfectly through the "girls".

Renae said...

Your top looks great and it's a fantastic color on you!

Andrea said...

The color is lovely on you! I love the gathers at the bust - a really nice touch. Love those pumps, also.

Pam said...

I can't wait to make a woven blouse - and very much love yours - I especially love your outfit and pumps!

I am going to try my sloper but I'm happy you've made this - it is certainly inspiring me to try!

Elizabeth Made This said...

If you haven't come close before with fit on a woven blouse, I think you're more than on your way with this one. It's really flattering on you and I love the drape of the voile. Good luck on your white version. I have blue fabric for one but no white and I can't go shopping at the moment because we're marooned on potty training island. Belted sweater is on the table though!

Beth said...

It's lovely. If it's "going to be a major player in the wardrobe," I think it's a success. It will be interesting to note the changes you make in the next version.
(And, I want one, too).

knitmachinequeen (KMQ) said...

Great blouse. The fit is fantastic. I have this pattern in my stash. I hope to sew it up before spring! TFS.

Adelaide B said...

I love the color of this blouse! The fit may not be perfect, but I certainly could not tell.

kbenco said...

The fit looks excellent to me. I have trouble with sleeves on blouses too- finding the happy point between nicely fitted and able to reach overhead generally leaves me with quite a loose sleeve.

Marie said...

Fantastic blouse. I love the colour and the gathers. I have only ever made short sleeve blouses - this year I have plans for at least 1 long sleeve blouse with a similar neckline as yours.

Audrey said...

Super pretty blouse. The fit is wonderful and the color is really flattering to you. That looks like it will be a TNT pattern for you.

Lori said...

Fantastic blouse,this is one of my favorite patterns, the gathers are such a nice accent. Your entire outfit looks fabulous. Great job on the hand sewing, too.

Marjie said...

It's very pretty! I don't wear button down the front blouses for the exact fit reasons you named.

I've been admiring that voile, and this just might push me to buy some (although I don't need more fabric, according to my menfolk). Glad you had a new outfit for your Valentine's Day date!

MushyWear said...

The blouse looks very nice on you! The color is so flattering and you did a gorgeous job with the construction.

Dr. Fun (AKA Sister) said...

Beautiful! Love that color on you. I tried one woven blouse that didn't work out, but I just got my Fitting book (the new one on PR) and I'm hoping to work out my shoulder issues. You're inspiring as usual!

Karen said...

You look really beautiful in this, and I agree fitted blouses are the hardest to fit, good job :)

Mary Nanna said...

Great colour and wonderful fit- very envious that you managed this without too many slashes on your pattern!

Sewtellme said...

Great top and great outfit. I have the Butterick version of this on my table. I love a interesting white shirt, can't wait to see your perfected version.

Tia Dia said...

This is a great shirt! Thanks for your post. I have several fitting issues, and this shirt is next on my list! Yours looks well-fitted. I understand about the raising-of-arms-above-the-head issue, and wonder just how high an armscye can get before it's too high...