Before I made my Solina Jumpsuit some months ago, I made the blouse version first to test the fit of the bodice.

Some of you know that this book is one of my most used pattern books that I have, in the sense that I’ve made more projects (Halla coat, Numi bag, Sade Blouse and Solina Jumpsuit) from this book compared to the other sewing books on my bookshelf.

I’ve made this one in February so I do not remember much about its actual construction. But I’ll share with you a few details of the finished garment. For this one I used supplies already in my stash, a feathered cotton that for a long time I did not know what to use it for. My version of Solina blouse has short sleeves and I included the ties in the front.

It’s not very often that a top is made with an open ended zipper, so I was intrigued by the idea. We tend to associate the open ended zippers with jackets or coats and they are always placed in the front of the garment. So, yes, having in the back seems like a new idea, but nothing stops us from using open-ended zippers in the back of tops.

I still have my basting stitches from when I maked the fold line for the hem. A lot of the times, I’m too lazy to take them out. BEsides, they are a little element I like to leave them in as a signature of mine.

I felt that the blouse would be too short on me, so I only turned the bottom hem over once. The edge was overlocked before to finish the raw edges.

The blouse is really cute. Works well with jeans or skirts.

The ties are long enough that they can be tied at the back or at the front. I prefer to tie them at the back for a cleaner look.

I want to make this blouse again, using a fabric with more drape, such as silk or viscose and make a long sleeved version so I can add ties to the sleeves are well. To make the blouse a bit more me, I’ll look at using a contrasting fabric for the ties or if the fabric right side and wrong side are complimentary, maybe I’ll play with that.