Ditsy Floral Mimi Blouse

True to my word in my mini-review of Love at First Stitch, I made a Mimi blouse before the end of 2015! Pretty near the beginning of 2015 in fact. The Mimi blouse is my favourite pattern from the book, and I loves me a vintage-y style little blouse (as proven by my collection of patterns you can see here). Also, sometimes when I'm teaching workshops at Tilly's HQ, I think it's nice to represent 'Team Tilly' by wearing a creation from one of her patterns. Just as soon as it gets warmer...

Pattern:

So the first thing to mention about the pattern is that is needs tracing. The patterns in the book are helpfully ordered so all the bits you'll need for one of the styles are all grouped together on one large page per pattern, so no magic-eye skillz required like with the Burda or Ottobre magazines. PLUS, unlike those 'zines, seam and hem allowances are already included. Want to see a video of Dolores 'helping' me trace out the Mimi pattern pieces? Of course you do...

If I'm looking slightly less than a picture of patience in the video, despite the evident cuteness of her assistance, it is because it was taken at the end of a long day full of 'helping'! 

So back to the pattern. I decided to monkey around with the sizing a bit. Generally I like my blouses to be quite fitted, and the style ease in the Mimi seemed quite a lot more than I'd usually go for. So to this end, even though my measurements corresponded closely to the Size 3 of the pattern, I actually traced the Size 2, and used the Size 3 for the sleeve. Generally I think this was a good tactic, however it did come out a tiny bit tighter than I expected in a couple of places, so maybe I'd make the Size 3 after all if I make this again. Oh, and I'd probably go up another size to the Size 4 for the sleeves next time as they are a wee bit tight, although that could be the crappy interfacing I used for the stiffening the facings which always seems to shrink whatever I'm fusing a little. 

There are some really lovely elements to this pattern and it was a really enjoyable make. I think the proportions of the gathered yoke and collar are really lovely. The only thing I felt I could add to the pattern was to make a different configuration of the buttons, which I placed in pairs for a little extra interest. 

Fabric:

Hmm, so I'm not really sure this fabric is 'me', and my personal jury is still out on this subject. It's an undeniable pretty ditsy floral Liberty or faux-Liberty (I'm not sure, I didn't buy it) print cotton lawn that has been lurking in my stash for an age. Just as Karen wrote in the awesome Liberty Tana Lawn edition of her fabric Focus series, it feels wonderful to both work with AND wear. I cannot wait for warmer months to wear this regularly and enjoy that experience! 

Thoughts:

I'm actually surprised by how much I like this blouse despite the 'un-me' fabric. I think the fabric a good pairing with this sewing pattern, and that is what is winning me over. As Tilly writes in the book, the Mimi blouse looks great with skinny jeans, which is pretty much my uniform at the moment. 

Book Review: Love At First Stitch

If you're a reader of sewing blogs (and my guess is that you are), it's likely that you are already fully aware that Tilly of Tilly and the Buttons has written a sewing book! However, I've been lucky enough to receive a review copy, and now that MMMay'14 is over and done with I'm damn well going to review it. 

What it is, basically?

In short, it's a sewing companion that shows you how to make small a range of women's garment projects, and aims to inspire sewing creativity and wearing handmade generally. Aside from the step-by-steps of garment construction, there are all sorts of added extras, like how to plan sewing projects so that they fit with your sense of style and colour palette that really take this up a notch from a lot of sewing books. The design and layout of Tilly's book is truly stunning, and for me it's neck-and-neck with the Built By Wendy sewing books in terms of aesthetics (i.e. the best).

Like the aforementioned Built By Wendy sewing books and the previously reviewed 'Great British Sewing Bee: Sew Your Own Wardrobe' book, 'Love at First Stitch' contains a pattern section at the back that includes full size, multi-sized sewing patterns. The book talks you through how to create them in a pretty jargon-free and friendly manner, plus 'Love at First Stitch' emphasises ways to customise the patterns to make unique interpretations of your own.

Who is it for?

It's largely aimed at beginners who find more 'serious' sewing manuals intimidating and a turn-off. Tilly writes in a chatty, friendly way and includes personal anecdotes so 'Love at First Stitch' feels more like taking a class with a lovely teacher who is determined to help you have fun and feel capable. That said, I would argue that this book would also appeal to those who have been sewing for a while. Who doesn't want to sew some stylish, wearable garments and have the instructions actually make sense for once?! It's like, just because I can read Spanish, it doesn't mean it won't be easier to read the menu in English. It'll get me to the food quicker... 

It really is a beautiful book as well. So if you have very limited sewing time in your day-to-day life, flicking through this book and stroking the pretty pages when you've collapsed into bed can definitely help you feel like you've interacted with and been nourished by your favourite pastime. 

Will I use it?

For reals. I already use it in the 'stroke the pages having collapsed into bed' capacity (I hope that doesn't sound weird, now that I've written it twice). I also have my eye firmly on the Mimi blouse pattern, once I've got my sewing table clear of the mountain of WIP's currently residing on there. The pyjama pattern also looks like a useful staple that I'll no-doubt bust out at some point. This book is also good to remind myself how vibrant and exciting the handmade revolution that we are all part of really is. Oh, and Tilly mentions in the book about how Me-Made-May is a useful way to start wearing handmade more often, and that makes my heart sing with pride.