Butterick B6684, Blouse

The B6684 is a simple vintage-inspired blouse from Butterick with 4 different sleeve options.

Option A almost feels like a cop-out - by far the simplest of the sleve options (er, sleeveless), but also the most wearable. Everyone I Googled who'd tried this pattern seemed to have opted for version A and they also advised grading out at the hips a little.

I took this on board, and cut a size 10 but went right out to a 14 at the hips. The shape otherwise is very straight-up-and-down - I thought the extra fabric in the hip would help accentuate the waistline. 

Fabric was this LOVELY viscose challis kindly supplied by Minerva. It was a dream to handle. The neck tie is cut on the bias which is always a bit scary when cutting from a lightweight fabric that likes to move as you cut it. The viscose challis was very patient though and didn't seem to particularly shift when I cut it. It pressed perfectly making for very sharp bust darts and ensured hemming sleeves and bottom was as painless as possible. 

The heart print was a little larger than I anticipated seeing it online (my fault for not reading the deets fully!). I was a little bit worried it would alook a little bit too cutesy for me but I think the shape of the blouse is so flattering it looks very 'me' once I've got it on. Hopefully this post serves as a good demo to anyone eyeing up this fabric as to how big the print is. I'm sure there are some makers who could absolutely rock the cutesy vibes teaming this fabric with any pattern - I would love to see!

I was really mindful when cutting out the fabric to have a row of hearts down the centre front and centre back of the blouse. I flipped the pattern piece over instead of cutting on the fold in order to make sure the hearts were symmetrical from left to right. So happy with the results of this! Side seams weren't possible to pattern match per se, but I made sure the waistline and hemline intersected the hearts at the same point on front and back, so the rows of hearts were parallel all the way round.

Of note this fabric is also really comfy! It feels really light to wear - perfect for summer! It was also really kind to me on the fray-ometer, only fraying a little on the raw edges where I'd handled it a lot, but even then it was still very controlable. 

I love the instructions for the neckband attachment. The back of the blouse it attached right sides together to a little bit of the necktie which wasn't turned into the inside of the tie. a facing is then applied, sandwiching the tie inside of the neckline - facing flipped inside, (trimmed, snipped and understitched) and then wow! A lovely v-neck and functional bow! I held my breath stitching the v-neck - I wanted it to line up perfectly so tit pointed down towards the centre of the centre-front hearts. I got it bang on! First attempt! I can't help but feel this was a Sewing Bee worthy achievement! 

The arm holes are hemmed with a narrow hem (do this BEFORE overlocking the sideseams). The cut of the blouse then creates a bit of a sleeve illusion as the shoulders are still covered. This gives a 50s vibe which I ❤❤❤❤!

I hemmed the bottom in a similar fashion then it was finished! No fiddly fastenings, a super cute bow, shoulders covered enough to not feel too exposed at work and a perfect v-neck for anyone who gets that close.

This simple blouse was exactly when I needed to boost my sew-jo and create a garment I know I will wear. Excluding cutting, the blouse only took a morning to make (and I don't think I cut any corners!). But even with cutting it's only 3 pattern pieces plus a facing - so such a quick win!
I want more!

x
Location: Hunter House Road, Sheffield
Currently listening to: Speak of The Devil, Chris Isaak

Butterick 5895, Shirt

What came first, the pattern or the fabric? This was a classic case of falling for some fabric in Abakhan but without a real plan of what to do with it. What's not to love about this tiger print though!!

Too good to risk on a pattern that hadn't been tried and tested, it was a toss up between the McCalls 7575 shirt (great for work, tucks in nicely to jeans) or the Butterick 5895 shirt (retro vibes, cute tie waist, cheeky flash of abs). Already having got 4 McCalls 7575s hanging in the wardrobe and only one Butterick 5895, and despite the lack of appropriate weather to wear it, I opted for the tie waist shirt... I promise it's not just because 6 pattern pieces to cut out seemed more appealing than the 17 for the button down shirt!

It was super quick to cut out seeing as I didn't need to match the pattern and could cut out the three pieces with the fabric doubled. The pieces are such a funny shape, it's really exciting watching them turn into a shirt!! I used a lightweight iron on interfacing on the facing as my fabric is quite light, and there's not much strain on the button area. Also the tie front needs to be drapey enough to make a nice knot.

As the front and sleeve is cut all in one, there is some clever shaping from both a bust dart and a sneaky shoulder dart that reduces the roominess in the bust. I was a little worried that I would wish I'd taken a bit more in to make the chest a little tighter, but as this fabric is a little lighter than that of my previous, the drape is a little nicer in the sleeve to bust area.


The fiddliest bit of making this shirt is definitely the neck area. It requires you to reinforce corners at the dots and then snip upto the dot to get the perfect angle where the collar meets the shoulder. With all the reinforcing stitching and the stay stitching, it's important everything is really neat at these pivots or you risk your stitches showing on the shoulder. Luckily though, the collar does flap over this join, so as long as everything is flat and you don't accidentally create a tuck on one side of the stitching you should be okay.

I love the way the collar crosses over at the back. It's a really cute design feature but also its a lot easier attaching this than adding a separate collar would be! It then folds out into super cool retro-looking lapels. It think my pattern placement could have been a bit smarter as one side of the blouse looks a little tiger-lite compared to the other, but that's always the gamble when cutting on the fold. I think there's enough going on with the shirt as a whole for it not to be too noticeable though.


I understitched the facing of the lapels as far as I could go, taking extra care to try and match where I started on each side as I knew this would be visible. This helps keep the facing in place so that the collar looks really neat. My favourite bit is probably clipping the curves, trimming the corners then turning that facing to the inside and revealing those lovely ties!

I did a narrow hem on both the bottom back and the sleeves (the front is encased by the facing)- overlocking the edge, turning up once and then stitching at half the width of my foot.


The last step was of course the trickiest... Buttonholes! Ahhh I do hate making button holes! And my machine doesn't seem to enjoy it either which doesn't make the process any more enjoyable.

I found these cute buttons in my gran's old button stash. Usually I'm rooting round in there for hours trying to find a set to match! But luckily this time these 4 were all ready and waiting for me. I thought the colour was a little bit unusual, but a little bit regal and a compliment to some of the greeny-blues in the print. My buttonholes were perhaps a millimeter or so too tight but they are all perfectly straight and in the right place so I don't care! The fit of the shirt allows for the buttons not to be under too much strain so they sit very happily :)


Typically, I've made a very seasonally inappropriate shirt! It's a bit cold around the midriff haha, but I guess the great thing about this shirt is you can team it with a vest top for some extra coverage.

I love how the tiger print work's with the 50s vibe of the shirt. I could quite happily make myself a whole army of Butterick 5895s for any occasion! I've seen a few gorgeous ones online in ginghams all ready for strawberry picking in summer.

I'm ready for Spring now please!


A big thank you to FYD Tattoo parlour for letting me take some snaps in-store! Their digs are very aesthetically pleasing! We also took a few shots at Mr Personality on Woodseats - How beautiful is their tiger!

x

Location: FYD Tattoo, Devonshire Street Sheffield
Currently listening to: Last Ride, Tiger Army

Butterick B6423, Lisette Coat

I get cold. Colder than I ever used to, so when I spotted Love Sewing's recent cover pattern was this Lisette coat I really wanted to have a go. The lovely folk on Day Case at the hospital chipped in for my leaving prezzie and I spent my dollar in Abakhan. This speckley wool blend was in the shash bins downstairs, for about £16 I bought three meters (I'll show you what I spenT the rest on in posts to come!!). Just what I needed now I don't have those lovely folk so close at hand to keep my heart warm. Thanks guys.

The only other things you'll need are some lining and some interfacing and a big button for the front. I discovered Hillsborough Fabrics big stash of satin for the lining. I was tempted to go for a light pink or perhaps a gold, but after much thought I went for a more understated charcoal. Hey it's one step more exciting than black.


I followed the cutting lay out, but with a bit of re-jigging I freed up quite a bit of fabric and have an off-cut definitely suitable for something else, maybe an office skirt for my new job? There's lining left too so doesn't seem like a bad shout.

The fun thing about this coat pattern is the multiple panels give you chance to play around with some different fabrics. I did buy some black wool with the intention of having a go but was worried it would mess with the hang of the fabric if it wasn't quite weighted right. I'd like to have a play with some fur or sheepskin for a collar sometime this year.



I'd urge you not to skip interfacing, as that collar really benefits from added structure. In fact if I made another I would be tempted to interface the whole front panel too. I would advise adding interfacing to the pocket seams (top and bottom) to keep them in shape, and also maybe the cuffs and bottom hem just for strength (though guilty, I didn't interface these).

Sewing up is fun!! Loved watching the pockets come to life with those princess seams. The trickiest bit is probably faffing about with that collar. It can be a bit hard to get those angles right where the collar joins at the neck, though it looks fab when it goes from fabric to lining when you nailed it!!

Don't underestimate the importance of all the dots and notches, though I lost some of my notches as my fabric started to fray, aghh! I overlocked a few bits as I went along to try and prevent disintegration, but as the coat is fully lined you can get away without an overlocker if you don't play too rough ;)

A lot of online reviews have mentioned that the sleeves are too long. I can't disagree, I cut 2 inches off of the length and think I turned them in a little more than I should have too. Not sure whose arms are quite that long! But it was really easy to save, just make sure you do the same to the lining fabric and it's no drama.

The other thing that keeps cropping up online about this pattern... 'WTF is step 36?' Ha! I've no idea! No one knows, apparently even Lisette doesn't know! It's something to do with hemming and the pleat, then there's this cryptic image. Anyone seen similar? I skipped it and my coat hasn't fallen apart, would still love to know though.

The pleat and hems are all hand stitched, I was surprisingly pleased with my efforts. The satin lining looks so swish!! It doesn't suggest it in the instructions but I would recommend stitching the centre backs of the collar together by stitching in the seam ditch. This will stop the under collar from rolling out when you've got it on.


I ummed and ahhed about how to fasten the front. The lovely House of Pinheiro had used some funky bag clasps to fasten hers, but I struck lucky when I rifled through my Gran's old button bag and found these chunky buttons. I went for two because one looked a little lonely. So glad I can have a piece of her on on coat, I hope it would make her proud.

The pattern is super fun to make, it's very exciting when it all starts to take shape. I would prefer maybe a little less fabric in the top sleeves, but will be great for layering up. And lots of layering up there will be, I have SO much on my to-sew list this year!!

Can't wait to get cracking with more fabric from my last Abakhan haul!

x

Location: Victoria Quays, Sheffield
Currently listening to: Dead In The Water, Calexico