Thursday, December 12, 2013

Vogue 1323 - Ivory + black polka dotted silk blouse

I'm in love with silk blouses. Seriously. I wish I had a closet full. The only other one currently in my wardrobe is constantly on repeat. When I saw this beautiful ivory and black embroidered dotty crepe de chine at MoodFabrics.com, I knew just what I'd make with it.


I picked Vogue 1323, a Rachel Comey design. I love this pattern so much for the interesting neckline and and front pockets. Any extra volume I can add to the front of my tops is a welcome addition for this small-busted gal. I also wanted to try my hand at a placket which I'd never done before. I chose to use a contrasting black for that part, picking another silk crepe de chine so that the fabric weights would match.


Sewing with crepe de chine isn't difficult, it just takes a little bit of finesse. You've got to go slow and treat it with loving kindness. I had to take lots of breaks while doing the miles of topstitching on the pockets and pocket flaps. The weight of this fabric was perfect for a blouse and isn't see-through with the proper skin-colored undergarments.


I cut a 10 through the shoulders and tapered out to a 12 through the hips - my normal Vogue sizing. Then I added 2.5 inches to the bottom to make it more of a tunic and 5/8" to each side to accommodate the longer length over my hips. I eliminated the hemline slits and curved the sides up a bit. To the back I added darts to give it a little shape and spaced out the gathers along the yoke.


The neckline of this blouse was a complete bear to sew. When I first began this blouse 3 months ago, I mistakenly used a heavier wool sateen for the placket. It looked AWFUL! The bottom of the placket was so bulky that the silk under it was pulling and puckering. Of course I did not notice this until it was completely sewn to the blouse including the slip-stitching on the inside. I considered trashing it in frustration and had to put it aside for awhile. After a week or two I decided to unpick the neckline and ordered another silk crepe de chine in black to remake that area. I interfaced the outer placket and collar and they behaved, but the inside placket facing gave me so much trouble. Silk cut on a curve does not like to behave and seems to grow. Anyway, I persevered, and I'm glad I did.


I haven't made vented cuffs in a really long time and these were kind of fun. For some reason I chose all four-holed buttons so I had to use thread shanks in order to prevent the silk from puckering.


For those areas that I didn't want an embroidered dot I used my seam ripper and carefully removed it. I had to do this whenever the dots were in a seamline, under the cuffs or on the yoke facing. There is a bit of interfacing sewn under each dot, which makes it a little raised off the fabric.


All the insides were sewn with french seams, including the armhole seam. I wouldn't have attempted french seams while setting in a sleeve except that the pattern instructions called for them. What a beautiful finish for a nice blouse! I'll definitely be doing that from now on.


Dressform pictures:


I'm so happy to have this project finally completed and could not be more pleased with the end result.

79 comments:

  1. Yes the fabric is indeed so lovely! And the black placket is just amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. very pretty. your hard work and patience really paid off!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fabulous blouse!!! Would have never looked twice at that pattern because I never made it past the pants....Just not into those satin "sweatpants." I really think I might have to get that pattern now. So many possibilities. Even without the pockets it would be a great blouse! Just for a way to make it look a little different ;) Great job. It is a fabulous blouse and you did a great job making it even more fabulous as usual :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Abailey! I can see why you might have overlooked this pattern - the example garment is so busy you can't see any of the details! Those satin sweatpants are a little different but I'll bet they feel amazing on!

      Delete
  4. Beautiful blouse and great save on the placket! I've always been scared to sew french seams on set in sleeves.

    Karen

    ReplyDelete
  5. gorgeous work and I had to laugh when you described removing some of the embroidered dots, I would totally do that too and think I was too fussy the whole time while doing it. Very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful blouse and very impressive armhole french seams! Did you follow a tutorial to do that? I can't quite get my head around it...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jenny! The instructions for the pattern included what to do at the armholes but really, it's just like any other french seam. Thin fabric is a must, though, and I'm not sure it would work on synthetics.

      Delete
  7. I have to say this again-- I love this! It's just so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This shirt is amazing. All that work and attention to detail is clearly evident in the finished item.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Beautiful and so wearable! It is evident you really took your time with this. Superb finishing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It really is lovely. Well done. Lucky you persevered!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, your sewing is amazing. I love your blouse and all the details are beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your attention to detail and exquisite sewing skills really shine in this blouse. Beautiful work.

    ReplyDelete
  13. i adore this top!!! i've made my first two silk blouses recently and i'm completely hooked on using silk. so luxe to wear. nice job on your blouse, it's beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Really beautiful. Your attention to detail is amazing! Love it inside and out! And what a great eye for pattern picking!

    ReplyDelete
  15. That is such a beautiful top. Great fabric/pattern pairing!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a lovely blouse! Your attention to,detail makes this so gorgeous, I doubt you could find a RTW as beautiful! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh, it's absolutely lovely! That fabric is really something special!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Your blouse is so beautiful, it's amazing how those little black dots and the contrast placket make it look so much more interesting than just a plain white blouse

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kristy! I could totally use a plain white blouse in my closet, but I always want to sew stuff with more interest.

      Delete
  19. I saw your blouse on MSN and simply LOVE it! I'm inspired to try something similar. It's really gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Lovely lovely blouse. I have this pattern in the soon to sew box, your inspiration and the perfect piece of fabric have moved it up the list a notch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! I'm sure yours will be wonderful! Thanks!

      Delete
  21. Absolutely lovely Amanda! That placket in silk would have outdone me I think!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, it almost did that to me, which is why I won't be making another one. Thanks!

      Delete
  22. What a fantastic job you have made of this. The attention to detail is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Beautiful. I have been following your blog for a while and am continually amazed at your technique!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love your blouse and the changes you made to it.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Breathtakingly beautiful, Amanda. bravo to you for persisting and changing that placket fabric. Love the design on you and your stitching is gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  26. This blouse is absolutely gorgeous! You do such a great job with everything you make. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow you did an amazing job on this blouse, that contrast placket looks incredible, definitely worth redoing it to get these results. I really like the drape of the sleeve on this pattern too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Allison! I wasn't sure about those sleeves when I was in the middle of making the blouse and thought I might should have cut them narrower. But they are fine and comfortable so I think I was just being overly picky. So glad to hear you like their drape!

      Delete
  28. This blouse is PERFECT!! I love seeing what you make!! Question: where did you learn how to fit patterns? Did you teach yourself?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Veronica. I am totally self-taught, and have made countless wadders over the years trying and failing for good fit. Now I always make a muslin first to test out the fit and I hardly ruin any good fabric anymore.

      Delete
  29. Gorgeous! You make sewing with silk appear easy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, thanks Charry! I'm not scared of it anymore but definitely have to take breaks and put it down for a couple days here and there.

      Delete
  30. This blouse turned out beautiful! I'm glad you persevered despite your initial issues with the placket. I really love the dots. It sounds like so much work to remove them in seamlines etc.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Your armscye French seams are exquisite! There's a reason I never show mine...

    ReplyDelete
  32. Your blouse is so pretty! that is a lovely design, beautifully sewn and the fabric is exquisite :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. This is beautiful. The envelope photo led me to believe that this blouse is voluminous, but yours is dainty and feminine.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I am no where near this level of expertise but I adore this blouse! I cant wait to be able to sew like this!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Nikki! Practice, practice, practice! You'll get there. :)

      Delete
  35. What a lovely classic! Quick question, my size is very similar to yours from your reviews, and I wondered if you prefer one pattern company over others. I ask as I am going to order some patterns ( on sale) and don't have a lot of experience with all the different companies. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jolsen! I do not favor one pattern company over another for fit as I've found patterns vary wildly even from the same company. I always buy patterns for their design - the more intricate the better - and therefor wholeheartedly love Vogue tons more then the others. My advice is to always make a muslin and perfect your fit before you cut into your fabric. Once you get a good fit with a pattern, make it over and over in different fabrics or with different necklines/sleeve variations.

      Delete
  36. Happy new year and congratulations to another lovely project Amanda! I often just visit your blog and always admire what you are making.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I have just discovered your blog and absolutely love your items. I'll take more time looking around. Thank you for sharing, you would never know that they are not bought from a high end store.

    http://peonynrose.blogspot.com.au/

    ReplyDelete