Another saga happening on these shores. I’ve made another project using a pattern from Breaking the Pattern book by the designers from Named. I’ve already made the Numi bag and the Hala Coat . 

This time I went for the second project on the book, the Sade blouse and tunic. I made the blouse as the tunic is too shapeless for my taste.  Although the pattern pieces are similar for both the blouse and the tunic, the shape is given by adding ribbon to the hems which gives shape.

Using the finished garment measurements I decided to cut a size 3. Also, I needed to shorten the sleeves by 5 cm as they would have been too long for me.  To make it, I used this lovely cotton lawn I’ve had in my stash for a long time( I think I got from Abakhan) – a navy blue fabric with media player buttons signs.

For a beginner, the instructions and diagrams would be easy to follow. I did not need them as the top is very easy to construct.   As I did not fancy making my own bias tape and having a big stash of readymade bias tape, I just used that, even if it was black. 

And since I had the white in the fabric, I used a white organza ribbon for the hems.

The finished blouse is cute. This is the word that comes to mind every time I look at it. It is perfect for beginners because it does not require much fitting. The main issues can come from cutting the right size making sure the dart point falls in the right place and shortening/lengthening it. If you don’t want a boxy garment, the ribbon ties allow you to get some shaping.

I really like how the vents in the sleeve are designed. You can wear a cardigan or jacket as not worry the sleeve will ride up the jacket sleeve. At the same time, although it is a long sleeve, you can get a peek at your skin as you move around.

I find this such a lovely simple top with cute details. I will wear it mainly with jeans and high waisted trousers. I am thinking of making a version and leave the ribbon out at the bottom, but I  intend to stitch two back layers together somewhere between midback or where they overlap at the bottom to keep them in place.