Wednesday 26 March 2008

Quest for the collarless blouse

I am having trouble with the blouse requirement for the Timmel SWAP constest. Two of the 6 tops need to be more of a blouse than a t shirt, which I suppose means that all the knit tops I have made to replace my collared blouses that clash with my jacket are t shirts, not blouses.
This week I made a collarless bias cut linen top. I quite like it, but it looks like a t shirt,even though it is made from woven fabric so I don't feel that I have met the criteria. I have been looking for patterns, but am running out of time.
 

I have been thinking about this top. This is one of my favourite tops, that I wear for work and unlike most of my work clothes, also casually. I bought it from Colorado in Brisbane. It is about 5 years old, in common with most of my clothes before this sewing for myself phase, and became totally worn out a few weeks ago when my painty son gave me a hug, transferring irremovable red paint to the front. The v neck does not look good with the jacket, but I thought the other aspects of the blouse might work.
 

This is the pattern I found in my out of date ebay box. It has the raised waist and back darts of my blouse, so I thought I could morph it.
 

I have cut out the top bodice,and sleeves accoriding to the pattern. I will use 3 raised waist darts at the bust like my Colorado blouse instead of the gathers, and have clasps or buttons down the front. I have used the jumpsuit lower bodice with a straight centre as shown above. I will make the top without a collar, but with a jewel neck.
 

I am very short of suitable fabric. Here is a 5 year old pair of drawstring pants that I bought in a fit of postnatal madness and wore about 3 times. The fabric is a striped cotton linen blend, and if it works, the brown and cream stripes are exactly the colour of my jacket and one of the pairs of pants from the SWAP. How fortuitous! I leave this blog in order to unpick.
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1 comment:

Ann Made Studio said...

Oh oh! Morphing and unpicking - you do have your work cut out :) however I think it will be well worth the effort. Your Colorado top is very nice and has nice design features. I like the bodice of the pattern you picked out and a jewel neckline should definetly work with a jacket. Will check back in for your finished garment.