Romantic Linen Blouse
Welcome back readers!
Today I’m sharing a project with you that exceeded my hopes. It’s so exciting when that happens! I have wanted to create a romantic, billowy, pirate-y linen shirt that made me feel like a vintage poet. I know, this is ALOT to ask of one garment of clothing, but I set my hopes high and started hunting down the right fabric and pattern to achieve these lofty goals.
The fabric was a fairly easy choice. I knew it had to be linen in order to give the shirt the soft volume I wanted it to have, as well as the vintage feel I dreamt of. I’ve been so impressed with the Everyday Linen from Blackbird Fabrics in past projects and knew that the quality wouldn’t let me down, so I checked their stock of colors and decided on the color Kale.
Image courtesy of Blackbird Fabrics Canada
If you follow me then you know that green is MY color. Wearing this color always makes me feel great, so why not?!
As for the sewing pattern, I sat on that piece of the project for a while. I wasn’t in the mood to carry out extensive pattern altering, and was hoping to find a pattern that was really close to what I was looking for.
Then the Poppy Blouse pattern was released by Pattern Scout and it checked off many of my must haves - raglan sleeves, high, ruffled neckline with a v-notch, and a roomy sleeve. The only alteration I had to make, and had expected to regardless of which pattern I chose, were the cuffs. I had something particular and unique in mind for them.
Using this pattern, the final shirt came together over a weekend and I couldn’t be happier! I am so happy with the overall silhouette and absolutely thrilled with the special details of the neck and cuffs.
It gives me all of the story book vibes I dreamt of and has turned out to be so much more wearable than I had hoped. Linen is quickly becoming one of my favorite fabrics to wear, and of course, sewing with it is a dream!
Regardless of your personal style, if you haven’t tried wearing a linen shirt before I urge you to give it a try. The comfort, breathability, and durability of this fabric make it a dream to wear in warm or cool temperatures. I also find that good quality linen such as the one I used for this shirt don’t wrinkle as easily as you think. Anyway, that’s my PSA for linen!
I plan to use it for a few different spring/summer blouses and dresses this year and will definitely post some sneak peeks of those on social media as the fabrics I order arrive.
In my next post I hope to share more with you about my sewing plans for the next four months, including inspiration boards, fabric swatches, and sketches. I can’t wait!
I hope you are finding your own creative spring projects to get excited about while we all patiently ride out the remainder of winter.
Thanks for coming by!
Amanda