Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Wardrobe garment 1: The drawstring blouse

Well, it's been a while since I posted, hasn't it! I didn't intend to go so long without writing, really.

The good news is that I have a few finished wardrobe garments to share with you. I'll spread them out over a few posts. This first one I'm showing you is one of my faves. I actually wore it to work today with some dark blue denim and brown boots.




The first garment I completed is this lovely blouse from the May issue of Burda magazine. I fell in love with it based on the model photo. She just looks so easy breezy. Part of the reason for that is because her sleeves are rolled up, which I haven't tried yet, but I certainly will once the weather warms up.

Fabric

Brown on ivory print cotton gauze from Manhattan Fabrics. This was my first time ordering with them. I think I looked at this fabric online every day for a month before I finally bit the bullet and ordered it. The shipping costs made it a kind of expensive purchase but the cool thing is that they were very generous with their cut - I got more than half a yard extra!



Bias binding to cover armhole raw edges

Notes on construction/alterations

As far as alterations, I didn't make any.

This fabric just loves to ravel, so I finished all the seams as French seams. I also used bias binding strips to cover the armhole's raw edges.

Because of this project, I finally bought a Dritz loop turner. After the first very successful turn, I was all set to give this product a rave review. Then I had a few mishaps. You know, where the tube gets halfway turned out and then the loop turner looses it's grip on the end...leaving you with an inside out stub. Overall though, I'm happy with this notion, espcially considering it costs only about $3.



Strips of fabric are sewn inside the blouse to form casings for the drawstrings

Conclusion
I'm lovin' it! I toyed with tying all of the drawstrings in front, but I think it looks better when they are all loose, like in the line drawing and model photo.



41 comments:

Erica Bunker said...

Christina,
Your top is beautiful! Love the drawstrings!

loopylulu said...

I love seeing the inside of garments, your sewing looks impeccable. Beautiful!

Meg said...

Your top if absolutely gorgeous, not to mention your impeccable job at putting it all together!

Lori said...

Very cute top and wonderful fabric.

Anonymous said...

it does look very comfy,its a beautiful print, you will get a lot of use for that in the summer.. and it looks great on you

Shannon said...

Love the fabric! Very nice top!

Alexandra said...

Beautiful blouse! I love the drawstrings and the fabric!

Colette said...

I thought you must have been very busy sewing away.... you have done a fabulous job on that blouse. Love the drawstring detail and fabric. Lovely.

Sigrid said...

Lovely blouse, real nice fabric and nice details.

Angelia said...

Great job on this... putting it on my BWOF to do list (its a long list!) I love the drawstrings!

Debbie Cook said...

Great print! Love the top on you.

Lisette M said...

Beautiful!It looks great on you.

Becky said...

Oh, I wish I got that magazine now-- that is a great blouse pattern!! Looks very good on you as well.

LauraLo said...

Very cool top and it looks beautiful on you. I also love the fabric!

Berry said...

The blouse is beautiful and fits you really good. I can't wait to see the rest of your creations.

Stephanie said...

Your top looks great! You look very breezy in it too. :)

Melissa said...

Beautiful blouse - I've always been fond of that one too.

Ruth said...

Lovely blouse! I really like your fabric, too.

If you want to spend more money, you really should get the Fasturn tool for turning tubes. No affiliation, but I just love mine. http://www.crowning-touch.com/

Meg said...

Very stylish top! Manhattan Fabrics is the online store of Paron Fabrics in NYC. They are the nicest bunch of people and are generous with their cuts in person. A must visit if you're in NYC.

Adrienne said...

Your top looks fantastic!!!!!

Kennis said...

Great blouse! Burda always has something unique (compared to the big 4). Love the fabric! Thanks for showing it!

Nneka said...

I love that top and your interior finishes are fantastic!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful blouse!

Angie R.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful job on the blouse!

C. Dishmont said...

Like a glove!

Anonymous said...

that is a really cool blouse. I like the yoke in the back.

flanthrower said...

Bravo! The seams look so nice and clean! (Who needs a serger when you're a pro at French seams??) I love the buttons.

Dawn said...

That's a great top!! I'm excited to see your other garments too.

Beth said...

Your blouse is gorgeous! This week has been a "I hate all of my clothes" week. Making a wardrobe is one of my long term goals. Yours will be inspiring.

Vicki said...

Very cute! I like that pattern too.

Paula Gardner said...

Your blouse turned out really well, I can understand why you lusted after the fabric. Since you have a cami on under the blouse anyway, have you leaving the it unbuttoned down to the middle drawstring and then just tying the middle one?

Christina said...

Paula - I will give that a try!

Sheila said...

Hi Christina and Thanks for the lovely comment on my sweater. I'm in the process of doing another one, but thinking my cables are over overkill...lol. Can I say your blouse is Fabulous the fabric choice is gorgeous and like the details.

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

I love the fabric you chose for this top and I can't wait to see the rest of the wardrobe pieces!

Kelly said...

Gteat blouse. You look marvelous.

Juliane said...

Beautiful blouse! I have this one on my list to make. But I do have a question for you--do any of the drawstrings hit you at the natural waistline? And if so, which one-top, middle, or bottom? Just wondering if I will need to lengthen the bodice since I am very tall.

Love your blog!

cidell said...

I have to say the construction details of this are wonderful. I love the way they have worked the drawstring and the back yoke detail. This is pretty fabulous.

Tany said...

This is too gorgeous! I love it and your fabric is perfect for this style!

Leslie said...

I can't believe you didn't make any fit alterations! It looks so good on you, love the choice of fabric too. Don't you just love bound armholes? So pretty.

Anonymous said...

It's very "designer"-looking, and I agree with everyone the fit and sewing are fabulous. I can imagine this also as almost a jacket, maybe in a slightly heavier fabric. I think the neckline and sleeves would lend themselves to that look quite well. I think it would also be really interesting in a solid color, maybe olive or grey or another neutral.

yaiAnn said...

It's sooo cute!