Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Bateau-Neck Blouse

I have a tripod! I finally got around to getting one and it has made taking blog photos so much easier. If you blog and you want your photos to come out a bit better, I highly recommend getting one.
So I used the tripod recently to take pictures of my latest sewing project, a bateau neck blouse using the pdf pattern I recently released.

Here's the finished product:


 I wanted to use this beautiful vintage grosgrain ribbon that my mother gave me but there wasn't very much left of it. Hence, only three ruffles instead of four.




 It was quite relaxing sewing a gathering stitch in yards of ribbon, and then catching up on Grey's Anatomy while I gathered it all into place.


For the shoulder ties I used black cotton bias tape. The tie basically extends from one shoulder to the other as it binds the top of the blouse in between.


Materials: I used a really great pink vintage linen/ rayon blend crepe (it took me 5 burn tests to figure out what it was!) courtesy of my awesome mother. (+ cotton bias tape, yards of grosgrain ribbon and one invisible zipper)

Time: About an evening and a half. This pattern was so easy and straight forward (God bless the late 1950's for that!).

Thoughts: I have a very long torso so I had to adjust things here and there. I found that the bust line rested a little high for me so I would change that next time. I also extended the pattern just below the waist by a couple of inches so that it would cover my waist a bit more. The pattern called for a regular zipper at the side and I used an invisible one because that's all I had on hand; it worked nicely and fits like a glove in the waist!


Coming soon, curtains, curtains, curtains!

12 comments:

  1. What a sweet top, I love the ruffled ribbon detail and the ties! Having invested in my own tripod I have to agree with you that they are a great addition to a blogger's life ;o)

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  2. I love that top! And oh, how I need a tripod. My blog photos look like they were taken by a drunk.

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  3. Love your new top! Pink and black are a great couple :)

    my blog:
    http://alicecloset-sewing.blogspot.com/

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  4. Very sweet! I wonder if the undergarments they wore in the 50s pushed the bust up a little more. What do you think they wore with this top, a strapless corset bra?

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    1. Victoria, you make a really good point. They probably did wear it with a nice strapless corset bra, and I'm sure the bullet bra pushed things up plenty!

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  5. This is a really sweet top and you are looking fabulous! I love how this looks paired with some dressy pants - I originally would have only thought to wear it tucked-in to a skirt. Clearly you will have more options than that :)

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Annabelle. I probably wouldn't have been able to wear it with trousers if I hadn't lengthened the hem by a couple of inches, plus, they're high-waisted trousers :)

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  6. Oh that's so cute! Such simple lines, but beautifully fitted. I really like the ruffled ribbon.

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  7. I love this top, I'm going to try it out. Fingers crossed it will be a nice as yours!

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    1. Lara, I'm sure it will turn out lovely! I would love to see pictures of yours too!

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  8. Great job! I love everything about this top: the color of the fabric, ties, ribbons. Especially the ribbons. This is such a great idea to make them into ruffles.

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  9. So pretty- I really want to learn to sew!
    www.saysskippy.blogspot.com

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