The Afternoon Blouse

A few weeks ago Jen, from Jennifer Lauren Vintage asked me if I’d like to be a pattern tester for her very first sewing pattern, The Afternoon Blouse. I was extremely flattered and jumped at the chance. I wasn’t sure what the Afternoon Blouse looked like at the time of accepting but knew if Jen’s personal style was anything to go by, her first sewing pattern would be nothing short of stunning. I wasn’t disappointed when the PDF arrived in my inbox.  The Afternoon Blouse is just that- a blouse that can be made in an afternoon. The vintage inspired blouse features a choice of two necklines and flattering kimono sleeves. I realized I didn’t have a high waisted skirt that I could wear my blouse tucked in to and I had been wanting to make the Bluegingerdoll Peggy skirt since it came out so I decided to make one up while I was at it- I’ll be posting about my Peggy skirt in a coming post. You can purchase The Afternoon Blouse sewing pattern from the Jennifer Lauren Vintage Etsy store. 

The Afternoon Blouse pattern is very easy to fit and true to the measurements provided on the pattern. I cut a size 12 and moved the arm cycle down slightly. For some silly reason when I was making my muslin I cut a 14 in the shoulders instead of just moving the arm cycle down... not sure what I was thinking but I fixed it up on the real go ‘round. I purchased my fabric, some red birdie voile, at the same time as my Winifred Dress fabric for 40% off. A dear friend was shopping with me at the time and also purchased some red birdie fabric. She ended up making some PJ pants and told me when she saw my blouse it made her want snuggle up in bed and read a book. HA!

Jen mentions in her pattern instructions to take your time when you are sewing the detail section of the neckline and it is good advice as this part can be a little tricky if you are a bit of a lead foot with the machine peddle (like me). If you take it nice and slow however you should have no problems. I was busy trying to match up the bird pattern on the fabric and lost focus for a bit so my detail is a little wonky... oops! I matched the pattern a little too well, with that and the fact that I used a covered button in the same fabric it makes the detail a little hard to see. 

The Afternoon Blouse is the perfect pattern for a beginner, the instructions are very well written and easy to follow. The fit is wonderfully forgiving and suited to all shapes, making the initial fitting stage of the sewing process a pleasure. I could imagine this would be the perfect teaching pattern for a beginners sewing class.

 

I love my blouse, so much. I could tell from the first time I wore it that I am going to wear it until it falls apart (hopefully that won’t happen for many years). I will probably just mend it and keep wearing it anyway. The Afternoon Blouse is such a quick easy make, not to mention very stylish. A classic wardrobe staple that I will turn to time and time again. I am already thinking about my next one (two & three), I think I’ll use the square neck detail next and I plan to go through my Nan’s button jar so I can make it that extra bit special. 

I can’t wait to see what’s next in the line of Jennifer Lauren Vintage Sewing Patterns.

Caitlan x

P.S Being a blogger newbie, I am wondering if it is just me or if anyone else has the problem of the image colors changing when loaded into blogger? They are fine when I edit them but once added to my post they become much brighter and a little bit pixely.