Thursday, January 23, 2014

Burdastyle magazine 04/2011-105 blouse and Sewaholic Renfrew sweater

Most of the blogs I follow are sewing and crafting blogs, but a few style blogs have managed to stay in my reader. One of them is Pink Avenue. I know Corinne in real life, which makes it even more fun to follow her blog, but I also really love her style, and I get a lot of inspiration from her. When I saw this post, I knew I needed a leopard print blouse and red sweater. Stat.
Even better that it's still Jungle January! Perfect!
For the blouse, I wanted something with minimal shaping, but still not bulky so I could wear it layered. Initially I thought about the Grainline Archer. It looks great on everyone! But as I was perusing some back issues of Burdastyle magazine, blouse 105 from the 04/2011 issue caught my eye.
It has very sleek lines - just a bust dart for shaping, lined shoulder yokes that wrap to the front and a nice shaped hemline.
The collar has a stand, which is a nice feature. The cuffs are interesting. There is no placket and the cuff is left open, giving it a slit effect. You may notice that I chose pearl buttons for this. Thanks to my social media buddies for weighing in!
The cuff opens over the thumb, and the sleeves are quite long, so the cuff comes down to cover the hand. When I first put this on, I thought that would annoy me and get in the way, but the slit is in a very functional location and keeps the cuff out of the way as I work.
The back yoke is fairly high, and the back is cut without an ease pleat. The fit is comfortable though, even without the pleat and I really like the sleek look.

From the side, you can see that there is very little waist shaping. The shaping in back is all in the yoke seam, although between the bust dart and the yoke shaping, the fit through the shoulders and upper chest is very nice, which allows the rest of the blouse to drape attractively.
The fabric I used is a rayon challis from FabricMart. I don't know why I haven't made more blouses out of challis! This is so soft and comfortable to wear and the drape is really lovely, especially in this unfitted style.
The sweater is another Sewaholic Renfrew. I've made so many of these, I didn't think it deserved a separate post. This is the long sleeve version with a v neck. I used a very thin Hatchi knit from fabric.com. It's actually sheer enough that you can see the leopard print right through it, but it is rather soft and cozy.
The knit was so unstable that I used red rib knit for the bands. I was pleased to find I had a rib knit that coordinated exactly in my stash! I'm trilled that I got this outfit out of my head and into my closet so quickly, and even more pleased that my stash provided all the materials I needed.

28 comments:

EmSewCrazy said...

I like it! That leopard blouse is rocking!

kristin at sunnysewing said...

Stunning outfit! I really love the red with the leopard! Very cool that you could pull the pattern from your stash of Burdas :D The challis flows nicely and I have come to love shaped hemlines - very flattering for pear shapes such as myself.
Since the knit was so unstable, was it hard to sew with? do you think it will last with washings? It is so cute and looks great on you as a color.

Laura said...

Such a great outfit! The cuffs on the blouse are pretty fun. Might just have to copy you and make a blouse out of challis.

Ajaire said...

Love that sweater! The ribbing matches so well.

www.tresbienensemble.com said...

This is a really classic outfit! You pulled this look together beautifully with your new makes!

Ripple Dandelion said...

Adorable pieces that look great together. I used that same FabricMart challis for a dress (Colette Parfait); it's washed and worn really well.

Faye Lewis said...

Stately and beautiful. Love that print topped with the red.

Jessamy Rose said...

I love it.

Heather Bee said...

You are the Jungle January Queen! Very nice, I like the leopard blouse/red sweater combo too. You also make all the Burda patterns look good.

Lori said...

This is so pretty and trendy. How was the rayon challis to sew? I love the leopard and red together. I have a striped sweater with a black-white leopard blouse and love that. Thanks for the link to the Pink Avenue blog.

Joy said...

Love this outfit!

The Slapdash Sewist said...

Fabulous outfit! I'm impressed you got such a crisp-looking shirt out of rayon challis. I always go for the flowy, oversized thing with it but now you're making me see the fabric in a new light.

Kristy Chan said...

Proof that a well stocked stash is necessary! I love the entire outfit, and I'm so impressed with your sweater - it turned out perfectly

Elizabeth said...

The blouse has really nice shaping and the yoke placement is quite flattering. I LOVE the sweater. I think there's little you can't wear it with, and this shade of red is lovely on you.

Katie Deshazer said...

Thank you! I'm pretty surprised with how much I like this pattern. I usually go for all the shaping, but this one works. Yay!

Katie Deshazer said...

Yes! Mmm, fabric... Thank you! I'm pleased with the sweater, too. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with that fabric. It's so weirdly thin.

Katie Deshazer said...

I wasn't sure if it was going to work out myself. I generally stick to flowy with challis, too. Glad I tried it out though, because it feels so nice!

Katie Deshazer said...

Thank you!

Katie Deshazer said...

Thanks! The challis wasn't too bad. It's a little unstable on the bias areas, but it presses really nicely, so that's a bonus.

Katie Deshazer said...

Thanks! I think Burda likes me. I don't seem to struggle as much to make them fit. *note to self - sew more Burda*

Katie Deshazer said...

:D Thanks!!

Katie Deshazer said...

Thank you! Leopard and red is one of my favorite combos.

Katie Deshazer said...

Ooo! I bet it's gorgeous as a Parfait! Good to know it holds up too. I want this one to last!

Katie Deshazer said...

Thank you!

Katie Deshazer said...

Awesome right?! The power of a healthy stash... :)

Katie Deshazer said...

Do eeet!! It's so comfy!

Sew Exhausted said...

I love the blouse in the cheetah print with the red sweater... Definitely stylish!!

Ginger said...

Ooh, this is gorgeous, and I love it layered with the red sweater! Fantastic!