So lets take a look at the first installment of my finished stash busting wardrobe – a silk cotton sateen blouse using a pattern from Burdastyle. The fabric has been in my stash since December of 2009, so it was high time to make something out of it.
The original pattern is from the Burdastyle 2013-6-119 issue, yes I used only pattern magazines from the stash too! The original pattern is the epitome of simple, a flat collar, bust darts and no separate placket, just a facing.
Here is another version of the Burdastyle blouse pattern, that I made a few years ago. As you can see, the sleeves are very different.
While I love puff sleeves, it wasn’t my intention to add them to this blouse. But Burdastyle has a tendency to add too much ease to the sleeve caps, and while the issue has improved compared to say 10 years ago, they still do it habitually. On the other blouse I was able to ease it in, but this fabric is stiffer so I couldn’t get rid of the gathers, even though I used all the tricks I have in my sewing bag.
So I decided to make lemonade out of the situation and just go with a puff sleeve look and also add cuffs. Normally I would use Sandra Betzina’s method in her book Fast Fit (Amazon affiliate link) to remove the ease, but since I already had used the pattern before and it was already traced I forgot to check the ease.
As you can see I didn’t hold back with the piping! At one point I began thinking that was no longer making a blouse, but a pajama jacket! But since sateen pajamas with piping are all the rage right now, I figured it wouldn’t feel out of place.
I have found a piping that trumps all other ready-to-made pipings I’ve tried. It is not fabric, instead the piping consists of tiny threads that are twisted. Up close this gives the garment a vintage touch that I’m very fond, plus it bulk free and easy to work with.
I asked fellow Instagrammers to help me pick the best buttons, and these ones got the most votes. Sometimes it’s good to get a second opinion when making style choices, because I was really unsure myself.
I also added bias tape to cover the neckline seam. You can check out my tutorial on how to add bias tape neckline that I made for this very project.
Also as side note, if want to know about the fabric, it is from Robert Kaufman and is called Radiance. It’s a shiny sateen fabric with a cotton/silk mix that is apparently made for quilting. Well I’m here to tell you it also works for garment making! It is easier to work with than silk sateen, but of course getting the seams flat with zero puckering was still a challenge with this fabric.
