It’s time for the next entry in the Simplicity 8390 Vintage Blouse series. I actually started working on this blouse years ago, back when I was learning to sew. This was shortly after I made the black blouse with red flowers, the black blouse with copihue, and the green dress. I had originally planned to make a blue blouse with cream-colored fabric trim on the collar and cuffs. But my sister and I decided to use that fabric to make a different blouse, and there wasn’t enough left for a trim. I thought we’d be able to get more, but the store never had that fabric again. So the project was thrown into a bin to be finished later. A couple months ago I was organizing in the sewing room closet when I found the unfinished blouse again. After years of putting it off, I finally sat down to figure something out for it. I discarded the original fabric trim idea, and I decided instead to make a crochet trim.
Sewing the Blouse
Now for the blouse. I don’t know what fabric this is. It’s just something I found at the store. It’s a light knit fabric that’s soft and sort of shiny. This was probably my first project using knit fabric, back when I thought that the edges needed to be sealed to prevent runs. As a result, I covered every single cut edge with Fray Check, again. Even after I clipped the seam allowance of the curves, I then went in and put more along the edges where I’d clipped. Eventually, I realized that the knit fabric wasn’t going to fray, and the only thing Fray Check did for it was make it stiff and smell bad. I ended up trimming the edges off most of the seams where I could. I couldn’t do that where I’d clipped the curves. Thankfully, it was little enough, and I suppose the fabric was soft enough that it didn’t become scratchy and uncomfortable.
I sewed bias tape to the inside of the waist and cuffs as a casing for the elastic. I did simple folded hems at the collar, cuffs, and bottom edge of the blouse before adding the crochet trim. Somehow, the sleeves ended up shorter than I wanted, which was also one of the reasons I decided to do a crochet trim instead of the fabric trim. With a wider lace trim, I could add more length to the sleeves. The trim I made came from this book, and I used Lion Brand Truboo yarn in sky blue. When I made the trim, I joined the starting chain to work in rounds and make a smooth seamless piece. I then machine-stitched the trim to the cuffs and collar. You can hardly see the stitching.
The Finished Blouse
I love it! The crochet trim is perfect for the blouse. I noticed that the fit is a bit tight at the bust. I did let the seams out there as much as I could, which wasn’t a lot. It’s still pulling a bit the way knit fabric does, but it’s not bad. I think the extra length from the lace on the collar helps to hide it a tiny bit. I still haven’t got the fit down perfectly and marked on the pattern for the next one. Each time I make another blouse, I have to guess and adjust it again.
Together with this cream-colored skirt, it’s the perfect ensemble. It also matches the bow hair barrette my younger sister made for me as a birthday present about the same time I started making this blouse. Incidentally, except for the trim on the blouse, this is pretty much exactly what I had in mind when I started. The only difference is the skirt. The fabric is a different one than I planned on initially, and the color is whiter too, although it is pretty similar. The original skirt I had in mind was a closer-fitting multi-panel design, but this simple gathered skirt with the elastic waist is a very quick, easy, and elegant one. If you want to know more about the skirt, check out my post about it.
So that’s all for this Simplicity vintage blouse. Don’t you think the crochet trim adds the perfect touch? I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t finish it before getting that book, or I never would have thought of it.