Let’s get started with our pattern Emma!
We hope you’ll have fun making and wearing this romantic blouse with small pleats and gathered front. Emma has a fine collar with a ruffle and long, wide sleeves with a large cuff.
Mark the center front on the top of the front piece, on the top and bottom of the front and the collar stand and on the bottom of the collar. Also mark the center back on the back.
Make the pleats in the front piece. Start at the top pleat and work your way down. In total, there are 7 pleats in the front piece; they are indicated with lines on the pattern piece. Mark every pleat with a basting thread.
Doublefold the fabric on the first line, wrong sides of the fabric together, and press.
Now stitch the pleat in place at 1 cm from the edge. Press the pleat towards the bottom.
To make the other pleats, you can use the basting threads or measure the next pleat at the same distance from the one before. Repeat the process until all the pleats are stitched.
Finish the shoulder seams of the front piece and the side seams of the front with an overlock or by zigzagging.
Gather the top of the front between the markings. Easestitch using the largest stitch on your sewing machine at 1 cm from the edge. Easestitch a second time at 0,5 cm. Gather the fabric evenly between the markings.
Stitch the front piece to the front. Make sure that the last pleat isn’t tucked in between. Pin the top of the front to the bottom of the front piece, right sides of the fabric together. Stitch in place and remove the gathering threads. Finish the seams together. Press the seams towards the front piece.
Finish the side and shoulder seams of the back with an overlock or by zigzagging. Also finish the side and bottom of the back facing.
Press 7 mm of the long sides of the back facing to the wrong side. Stitch in place. Now press the bottom of the back facing 1 to 1,5 cm to the wrong side and stitch.
Place the back facing on the back, right sides together. Make sure that the markings at top and bottom match. Pin in place.
Draw a line with a chalk or basting thread from the marking at the neckline to the marking below. Start stitching at the neckline, at 2 mm next to the line you drew and stitch just past and below the marking.
Turn the fabric under your sewing machine without removing your needle and continue stitching at the other side of the line to the neckline.
Cut the back slit until just before your stitching.
Turn the back and the facing to the right sides and press. It’s best to press on the back facing rather than the back. Make sure to press the point of the slit nicely flat.
Pin the shoulder and side seams with the right sides of the fabric together and stitch. Press open.
Doublefold the collar lengthwise with the wrong sides together and stitch the ends. Trim the seam allowance at the corners.
Fold the collar to the right side, still lengthwise, and press. Gather the bottom of the collar, this is the unfinished seam, in the same way as you gathered the front before.
Press the bottom seam of one of the two collar stands 1 cm to the wrong side of the fabric. Pin both collar stands with the right side of the fabric together and stitch the short sides at both ends. Do not stitch the 1 cm seam allowance you just pressed. If you’re adding a button with a loop, you need to insert the loop between both collar stands at the right short side before stitching it.
Slide the gathered collar between the collar stands with the unfinished seam of the collar and the top of the collar stands together. Make sure the gathered collar nicely fits between the collar stands. Close the top side by stitching from one side to the other at 1 cm from the edge.
Trim the corners and remove the basting threads. Fold to the right side of the fabric and press, without pressing too much on the ruffles of the collar. Keep the pressed seam allowance of the collar stand in place. Trim the seam allowance of the collar to make the collar stand less bulky.
Pin the seam of the collar stand, the one that hasn’t been pressed, to the neckline of the blouse, right sides of the fabric together. Make sure the markings of the front and shoulder seams match. Stitch the collar at 1 cm seam allowance. Press the seam allowance towards the collar.
It’s not easy to stitch the collar in a fabric that has a fluid drape. To ensure that your collar has the same width all around, you can mark your stitching line with a chalk line or basting thread at 1,5 cm of the top seam of the collar stand. The 1 cm seam allowance might not be even all around, but that will be less notable than an uneven collar.
Turn the collar and press the seam allowance towards the collar. Pin the collar stand to the neckline. Make sure that the pressed seam of the collar slightly overlaps the seam you just stitched. All seam allowances disappear inside the collar. Stitch the collar to the front by stitching exactly in the ditch of the neckline. Make sure to work from the right side of the fabric to do this. You can also stitch just above the ditch, that’s a bit easier. Press nicely flat.
Finish the side seams of the sleeves with an overlock or by zigzagging and pin together, right sides of the fabric together. Stitch the side seams and press them open. Gather the hem of the sleeve like you did before at the front.
Stitch the side seam of the sleeve trim, right sides together and press the seam open. Fold the sleeve trim in half widthwise, with the wrong sides together, and press.
Slide the sleeve trim over your hand to check that it’s not too big or too small. Adjust if necessary.
Now slide the sleeve trim over the sleeve, right sides of the fabric together and make sure the markings of front and back match (as they are indicated on the pattern piece). Stitch the trim to the sleeve and remove the gathering threads. Finish all seams together with an overlock or by zigzagging.
Pin the sleeve into the armhole, right sides of the fabric together. Make sure the markings match. The single marking indicates the front, the double one the back. Divide the fabric evenly between the markings of the cap of the sleeve. Baste to avoid false pleats and stitch in place. Finish the edges with an overlock or by zigzagging.
Press the hem 1,5 cm to the wrong side. Then press another 1,5 cm. Topstitch at the edge of the hem.
Handstitch the hook and eye or the button to the collar.
We wish you a lot of fun with your new blouse! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for extra tips and inspiration!
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