Silky Smooth Black and White Blouse

So this is the second time I've bought this pattern and I attempted to make the blouse once, but it was kind of a disaster. Let me explain... When I lived closer to a fabric store (RIP Hancock's) I used to scour the ad for deals on patterns. They had tons of 5 for $5 sales for Simplicity and Butterick and I would look through the internet for the ones I wanted and take that list with me to see if they had any at the store. Long story short (ha) I wanted the Simplicity 2154 pattern mainly for the sweater, but when I got there, they only had the size 16-24 pattern left.

Should I have waited to purchase my correct size pattern?

Yes.

Did I wait to purchase my correct size pattern?

Of course not!

Me, being the dummy that I am, I walked out with a pattern that was too large for me. I tried making the blouse and scaling it down myself, but it was horrible. I was still pretty new to sewing and I just dove head first into a big ol' mess.

Needless to say, it has sat in my collection collecting dust for a couple of years and I recently felt the need to try it again. The husband, being the sweet man that he is, went and bought me the correct size so I would not have to scale it. So began my second foray into Simplicity 2154.

I did it all! I finished all the inside seams with a flat fell stitch and made sure to take my time and go slowly. I basted, I turned and pressed and I made sure to get a black zipper to match. The zipper was 24" so I had to measure and cut the zipper down to 12". I wanted the end of the zipper to look nice, so I took a bit of ribbon and folded it in half and folded the ends in and placed it over the end of the zipper and stitched it in place so it wouldn't look all wonky.




Ooh... Inverted darts!


Tucked and stitched!

This time was a whole lot better! I was determined to make this blouse according to my new standards, so I did everything the instructions said. The only thing I didn't agree with was the neckline. You have the collar and a facing, so it got kind of bulky, even after grading the allowances. But everything else went so smoothly. That might be due to the silky ass fabric I chose for this top. I have no idea where it came from, but good lord does it feel good! It's cold and smooth and a dream to wear.

I made sure to interface the bow, but I think next time I might skip that part unless my bow fabric is like super light and needs some structure. I love the bow being stark white, but it's so stiff that I tacked it down a little to make it look less stiff... Does that make sense? No? Good.

And omg the best part ever?! The tiny white bow button that I found in my stash to go on the back!!!



I would love to make this again in another silky fabric. I have a few other silky remnants that I would love to have in this blouse.