191 Blouse is finished.

It’s been a long time coming but my version of the 191 blouse is finished – It’s really a 1912-inspired blouse rather than an exact copy of this pattern. I loved the trim but didn’t like the shape. I thought that the short length would make it difficult to wear and the rounded “Blouse-y” bodice would not be flattering on my body. And because I’m new to pattern drafting and got frustrated trying to deal with the entire pattern, I built it off of my sloper and used the trim from the pattern – which took some adapting in order to include a hidden front placket. Then I adapted the sleeve to have more of a “cuff” with a button instead of the bell-shaped original sleeve – I mimicked the neck trim and I think it works really well. The historical scholars among us may not approve, but I have a wearable blouse which I think will go with contemporary clothes – jeans and skirts, worn untucked, with a wide belt – but can be tucked into my 1912 skirt..

 Review checklist:

Pattern name – 0191 Blouse

Sewing level – I would have described my own sewing level as advanced before I began with the 1912 project, but this pattern challenged me a great deal. I would have to say this uses advanced techniques. The trim leaves little room for error, and requires lots or precision to look exactly right. If one were drafting this, the one-piece bodice would take skill and experience in order to achieve a proper fit. I’ve read several posts which indicated trouble with the sleeves, but I wasn’t using those pattern pieces.

Fabric – I used a lightweight 100% linen which I surprisingly found at JoAnn’s Fabrics, a store that usually carries only very poor quality fabric. The gold coordinating fabric is also 100% linen. The buttons are from the LaMode line of reproduction buttons for specific eras and this set indicated it was from this period.

Pattern rating: Although I didn’t LOVE it at first glance, I welcomed the challenge. With the design changes I made, I now have a blouse that I’m really proud of and which looks GREAT – historical but wearable!

My changes to the pattern. As stated above, I used a sloper bodice as the base of the pattern instead of the one-piece bodice that was included in the pattern. I did not line the blouse. I lengthened the blouse about 8 inches to make a “shirt-tail “style hem. I added a hidden placket and added detail on the sleeves as pictured above. I chose not to add the beads.

Changes to the instructions – seam allowance needs to removed from the neck trim pieces. Most of the muslins and garments I’ve seen made up from this pattern have a much larger trim than the illustration that came with the pattern. Mine fit exactly into the guidelines on the bodice pattern piece.

Edited to add:

Bias trim on blouse

Constructing the blouse

Sleeves

Adding a hidden front placket

One response on “191 Blouse is finished.

  1. Pingback: Ladies Blouse (#E0191) « vpll1912project·

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