Friday, January 14, 2011

My 1943 blouse

YAY! My first blouse for the Sewing Through the Decades Challenge:
And it also corresponded to the Sew Weekly Theme as well (Coco Chanel)..check out my post there...

This is my classic white blouse:

I absolutely love it.  The silk taffeta was great to work with (though really tough material--hand hemming required the trusty thimble!).  Here's a view of the shirt front:


And the back:

One of my favorite things about this pattern is the gathering on both the front and back as well as the pleats at the bottom.  It really looks best with high-waisted trousers (in fact the final blouse length and the pleats make it more difficult to wear with normal waisted trousers).

I finally feel fairly confident doing topstitching!  Here's a photo from the front:

I also hand stitched the sleeve cuffs onto the sleeve.  This was a pain because the material is quite tough.  When I went back to the directions, it said to topstitch--oops!  Ah well, I think the extra effort was worth it (because I'm sure with all the gathered fullness my topstitching would have been wonky!):


Also, instead of snap buttons, I used cuff links.  This is because I have small wrists and actually like my blouses to be quite fitted on my wrists.  Cuff links are perfect (and I can change them in and out) and it only requires two buttonholes on either side (instead of a fiddly snap--which I hate doing because I never line them up perfectly!)

I have to say that one of the greatest things about sewing is getting a garment to fit your body perfectly.  One of my biggest problems with blouses is the long-sleeves tend to run slightly short on me.  Now I can lengthen the sleeves--so it's just right.



And I'm happy to say that the Peacock chairs came to our new place (our only piece of furniture we kept):
This photo was taken on the camera phone that was jerry-rigged onto a stool (with string) and the self-timer button (which gave me just enough time to sit down)! hahaha

Check out more photos on the Sewing Through the Decades Challenge flickr group (and post your photos!)

Also, don't forget to leave a comment to be entered in the pattern giveaway.  It's open until midnight UK time and I'll be choosing and posting the winners tomorrow!
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29 comments

  1. What a beautifully classic piece!

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  2. Wow, you look so very Katherine Hepburn and topstitching is so perfect!

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  3. Wow so much detail in the back and front its beautiful. I can't get over how smooth it looks you have done an amazing job. I have to say im afraid of working with sleeves just yet. And i agree with you making your own clothes is such a lovely feeling and to have something fit and mould your own body shape is great. Well done. Dee ;-)

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  4. Oh wow, it's fabulous and really suits you. I love that last self-timered picture of you. Your cufflink idea is great, I may have to steal that at some point ;)

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  5. I love it! I'm a bit nervous about trying a long sleeved shirt for the first time, but yours looks great.

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  6. This is such a lovely blouse and I love the pictures!

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  7. I agree with Lisette, very Katherine Hepburn. Love the gathering and the darts around the waist.

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  8. The blouse is beautiful; the fullness really shows off the wonderful fabric! Also, it fits and suits you perfectly. I'm looking forward to all the sewing you've planned for this year!

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  9. Lovely blouse. I love that period in style history;problem is I feel I am too old to wear it now. I adore the McCall 789 stitchery and would really like to stitch it for my daughters cottage. I have been searching the internet but no luck can you let me know where you found it or is it possible to purchase the pattern and instructions from you ?

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  10. What an exquisite blouse, Debi! The fabric and pattern go together so well. You looks like a film star! :)

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  11. Beautiful! I'm a newbie to sewing - just coping with alterations at the moment and haven't progressed to patterns quite yet!
    Miss P xx

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  12. It's absolutely gorgeous! You've done an amazing job. Just beautiful :)

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  13. What a lovely blouse! I think the cufflinks were a great call. :)

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  14. Wow, loot at that blouse, and look at you, excellent work! Can't wait for the next one.

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  15. So classic, so chic, so wearable! You knocked this one out of the park.

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  16. Oh it came out so lovely! And I love that last pic of you- you don't look as though you'd just sprinted and quickly posed at all. Well done once again!

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  17. Very nice! It turned out great! It's very classic.

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  18. The blouse is fantastic! The topstitch on the blouse looks amazing, very clean and neat stitches. I love the width of the sleeves, so elegant. I have to say there you have a very strong resemblance to Lauren Bacall in the last photograph. Absolutely smashing!

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  19. You look soooo chic! I love the cufflinks - they look so professional. I have never seen silk taffeta fabric, but your blouse makes me want to sew with it.

    Can't wait to see what you make next.

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  20. The blouse is beautiful and you look great in it. What a lot of work and effort but every bit paid off.

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  21. It looks great - and love the sultry pose in the last pic! :)

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  22. This is so beautiful! Wonderful job, and I'm impressed that you hand-sewed the hem. :)

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  23. PRETTTTTY!!! You look like Lauren Bacall or young Katharine Hepburn (esp. in the peacock chair!)

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  24. oh my, you look like such an absoulte doll in the last picture! :) great on the blouse! :)

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  25. You did a wonderful job! The blouse looks very elegant and that photo of you in the chair peacock is very romantic. Lovely! I can not wait to see what new project is in your head.

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  26. Love the blouse, the chair, the camera ingenuity and the Katherine Hepburn look in that last photo! Well done you!

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  27. Oh my--the blouse turned out beautiful! Such a classic and elegant pieces; I'm sure it's just amazing to wear since it's silk. :) That picture of you at the end is so glamorous too! :)

    ♥ Casey | blog

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I read each and every comment--thank you so much!

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