I’ve made a softly floaty blouse 
of course just as summer is on the way out… o no, wait, actually summer is over! However we’re still getting days of 40C. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. I love the warmth! Only thing is that I’m getting tired of all my summer things thus the decision to make a new summer thing, ha. #seasonallyinappropriatesewingforthewin It’s light and pretty and easily breezy; and delightfully cool. I fully expect the weather to turn cold now.
Pattern; based upon dress R from the Stylish Dress Book, by Yoshiko Tsukiori. I’ve always had luck with the patterns from this book. But this time … well the pattern is for a short dress, and it’s quite pouffy too, and in this particular fabric it looked just like a nightie! eeeek! this fabric is far too lovely to be a nightie! So I gave it just a little chop and now it’s a top. Much much better like this… I had also added some rather interesting gathered side pockets to the dress and managed to keep them perfectly intact. I pinned this picture of a gathered pocket a while ago and have been itching to have a go at incorporating it into a design at some time… And I have! with an added drawstring. I decided the drawstring was needed with this embroidered fabric, it felt kind of lacking without it.
Fabric; a rather gorgeous fully embroidered Japanese silk/cotton, bought from the remnants table at Potters Textiles, years’ ago. Probably about four years ago. Fully embroidered with a floral motif, the background is very light and fine, quite sheer actually; so a full and voluminous design is just the ticket. The yoke and bias cut ties on the pockets are ivory crepe from Fabulous Fabrics, cut from the leftovers of my studio faro dress.
Modifications; Shortened to be a blouse. Also the front and back are supposed to be gathered into the yoke… I tend to steer clear of gathering. Instead I folded the excess width into box pleats. There are four at the front, evenly spaced and close to the centre front, and one in the centre of the back. And I added those two gathered pockets at the sides. I love the design of these; interesting and practical, and pretty too without being excessively twee, and they’re a little bit different from your average inseam pocket and patch pocket. I think they add a certain visual “something” to the top that it needed.
I’m thinking of writing a tutorial to show how I made them… coming soon
Details:
Blouse; based upon dress R from the Stylish Dress Book by Yoshiko Tsukiori, embroidered ivory silk/cotton
Shorts; Burda 7723, green cotton gingham, details here and my review of this pattern here
Thongs, made by me, details here
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