Bird Blouse

You may or may not recall that last year I became something of a Pro-Blouse campaigner. Well, naturally my dedication wained somewhat during winter, but with the first signs of Spring I have felt it return with avengeance. Simply put: I loves me a cute blouse. I've had this pattern from the 1/2008 Burda magazine in mind for sometime, and with the weather and fabric complying, I knew it was time. I mean look at the sum of it's parts: short puffy sleeves that do not require a button opening, rounded collar AND a bib panel?! Basically, this pattern is so up my street that we often lend each other cups of sugar!

So this is my version. I told myself it was going to be a (fingers crossed) wearable toile more than anything else, since I can never be arsed to make a normal toile, and it is subsequently unlikely to fit perfectly. The fabric was very cheap printed cotton from Ikea that I've had in my stash for over a year, with BIRDS! I frikkin' love bird anything, me. I've seen others on Burdastyle use this fabric too and all the outcomes have been very sweet. I decided to add a ruffle to breakup the mental pattern a bit, and to emphasise the bib panel which would probably have got lost in the busy-ness.

The buttons are boring plain white ones I had in my stash, but I thought it best to keep that element plain with all the craziness going on. The pattern actually has a concealed button placket thing going on, which is why there are no visible buttons below the bib section on the technical drawing above, but I thought that was a bridge too far for me and eliminated that detail. I've noticed Burda magazine does tend to over-design their styles on occasion.

So, inevitably the question of fit must be answered. No, it doesn't fit perfectly. I did what I always do with Burda magazine and Burdastyle patterns, I carefully and honestly measure myself (no vanity measuring round here!), dutifully pick the size that corresponds with said measurements, cut and make it. And it ALWAYS turns out too big. I think I must have had a few painful disasters that I've blocked from my memory of making garments irrevocably small in the past which forces me to never to heed my Burda lessons and go off-piste with their prescribed sizing. Basically this blouse is fine around the waist/hips but is about one size too big over the bust and one or one and a half sizes too big around the shoulders. I'm guessing I like my garments to have less ease than the Burdas deem appropiate. Ah, next time...?

Despite, or more likely because of, the fit issues, this blouse is extremely comfortably and doesn't look too bad. I've worn it almost every day since it's completion (that's only a few days, I'm not a scuzz!). I've got a heap of variations in mind for more of these blouses, and I'm wondering how many I can jam into my wardrobe before people start to realise that I'm continously wearing the same garment. Still, I thought that about Built by Wendy/Simplicity 3835 when that pattern crush hit hard. Such concerns didn't stop me making six versions based on that pattern!