Gertie Blouse/Sweater

So lately I have been watching a ton of beauty/makeup videos and reviews on YouTube* and I've spent more time experimenting with makeup and different applications. I mainly wanted to know about an E.L.F. item and went to find a review on it before I bought it, and then I fell down the rabbit hole that is YouTube beauty. I found so many reviews on elf stuff and I am a devoted elf user so it was so nice to see lots of ladies recommending elf over high end stuff. It led me to order more stuff than I had intended which gave me free shipping and a free gift with purchase! I have an order on the way and I just received an order a week ago. Needless to say, I am one happy camper!

Anywho, all of this was a lead into my latest project: a sweater from Gertie's book that I received for Christmas. I have been trying to go more retro with most of my lifestyle choices, from trying new makeup techniques for a retro look or sewing more retro looking clothes. So when I saw this sweater in Gertie's book, I just knew I had to make it.


Original blouse pattern...


... and a variation you can make from it by tweaking a few small things.

This pattern consisted of 3 pieces (front, back and sleeve) and was super easy to put together. I was supposed to make some bias strips for the neckline, but I used some pre made bias tape which didn't lay down super nicely, but I liked the contrast. I did see a tip on shaping bias tape but not until after I had applied it to the top, so I will try it next time. I will try steaming the heck out of it to make it lay down a bit better.




Double needle hem. Buh-bam... Professional!


The neckline is still kinda wonky, but looks better on me than on the mannequin. It's a bit smaller than I am, so it stretches more when I wear it. Overall, I would definitely recommend this sweater pattern. Gertie actually had a knit sweetheart top and you could modify it to make 3 other tops. So for this sweater one it said to add a couple of inches to the sides and shorten the sleeves, but I just went with the original pattern. And I was unsure about the fabric because I got it at the local thrift store and it had some weird glue marks on the bottom like it used to have something on it every inch or so. But it looked better than I thought it would, so I'm happy!


*Some of the beauty ladies I watch on YouTube:
Tati
Jessica Braun
EmilyNoel83
Kathleen Lights
ModaMob
Laura Lee

These ladies are funny and informative and have done reviews on both ELF and other high end stuff. Very much worth a watch!