I love that this year is all about the sleeve. So fun to play around with something new and experiment with more volume in the sleeve - something I've never really done much with. I love the romantic trend right now of loose, flowing ruffles and wanted to give this boho blouse a try for myself.
As far as a pattern goes, I was leaning towards the
Marthe blouse since it already has a loose structure and peplum, but then I remembered that raglan sleeves arn't my fav on my frame so I went another direction. In the end I landed on
Simplicity 1366 which is a Cynthia Rowley pattern that is very popular in the sewing community. I had already sewn this blouse up multiple times so I knew that I liked the fit and I also knew that the drop sleeve was what I was going for.
Of coarse I made a lot of changes. First of all I lowered the neckline a bit for my liking into more of a scoop. The pattern calls for a bias finished neckline, but instead I faced them for a more upscale finish. For the ivory version I actually just drafted a little facing, but for the pink version I actually fully lined the top portion of both the front and back so that became my facing.
The blouse was trimmed to about my belly button and then I added a ten inch ruffle to the bottom. The width of the ruffle was 1.5 x the measurement of the bottom of the blouse. I did the same thing for the sleeves - shortening them a bit, and then adding a 6 inch ruffle. Everything was finished with a narrow 1/4" hem.
As for fabric I was lucky enough to try out some pretty items from
The Fabric Store in LA. The ivory colored fabric is a rayon crepe and I am obsessed with (I might have it in a couple of other colors as well). It has a really pretty texture to it, is not see through, and has enough weight that it hangs really nicely without getting puffy despite all of the gathering. If anyone is looking for a good fabric for a Southport Dress I can't recommend it enough. The weight and flow of it make the most dramatic maxi version when you walk. Initially this was kinda my trial version and the pink one was going to be the star, but I actually prefer the way that the ivory one looks on me so I think it will get more wear.
The pink version is made up in the palest perfection of blush and I just adore this color. It feels so romantic and feminine. It's a silk crepe de chine (my favorite fabric to sew with) and was dreamy to use. Because it's a bit on the see through side I did line the bodice sections of both the front and back.
I love how these blouses turned out. Yes, they are trendy and probably will only be current for a couple seasons, but they are so fun to wear. I like the idea of how dressy they feel even with jeans. Perfect for a date night when I don't want to wear a dress.
