Done with no struggle - Burda 2/2015 106 Blouse - Edited with photos wearing blouse

Edit - I've taken photos with me wearing the blouse as requested some commenters. Sorry they aren't great - I've just used my 11 year old's selfie stick but you see what it's like on. It fits nicely around the bust and shoulders but is very loose and could be smaller by two sizes easily. My sister says it looks like I'm wearing Mum's pyjamas - huh, what does she know. It doesn't sit too low but low enough. So pjs or top, what do you think?

I should have remembered to take off my glasses or cut my head off... when I cropped, that is.

Yay! I finished something that went smoothly!! Not cutting errors, no machine problems... nada, nothing. Just smooth sailing and done in a couple of days. Plus, I love it.

I made blouse 106 from Burda Style February 2015 - the cover blouse. (borrowed from the library too - love that).

Here's my top on the dress form, just freshly finished (hmm... this looks unfocused now, rats).  No photos on me as it is pouring rain right at the minute and dark (I didn't even notice it got dark!) but it looks really nice on.  My fabric is a remnant from Spotlight bought just recently for $4, there was about 3 metres with a huge gash in the centre where I think it was used for dressing their mannequins for display. I said it was a Japanese voile but when cutting this out I saw on the selvage that it is actually a Japanese lawn. It has a lovely hand.

The blouse has raglan long sleeves and the pattern calls for bands cut on the bias for the sleeve hems and the waist band. I didn't want the waist band so I just cut it a bit longer.  The neckline has a bias cut band attached where you thread the tie through. The tie is also cut on the bias. My two bias neckline pieces were both pieced. Isn' the fabric pretty... I love the colours.

I didn't want the elastic bands on the cuffs, so I just gathered the end of the sleeve and finished with a bias band on it. I really like this neat finish.

I used French seams for this top simply because I was too lazy to set up the overlocker (set up means I didn't want to rethread with a lighter colour), but I like how they turned out. I had to do the first seams (side seams) twice as first I went auto pilot and put the two right sides together... doh!

 I made a wide hem and stitched it down. I like the wider hem. I really love this top, it has a really professional look to it. Next time I made a size 42 but next time I'll make it without the seam allowances as I think it will be a bit better with less volume. I have to say, even though this is a simple top, the drafting is spot on, the instructions less so (no surprise there) but it just fits.

There are a lot of great things to make in this issue and I've cut the pattern out for this top but in a size 40 after measuring the pattern pieces and reading a review somewhere that it was quite voluminous.  I really love the look of the bottom peplum ... I didn't get into the peplum bandwagon when it came out (although I do have some patterns with detachable peplums) because I don't think it is particularly flattering on my shape, but this one is so interesting it may distract from my tummy. I haven't decided if I'll make the sleeves long now that summer is coming. I also have jeans on my radar. I made some Vogue ones last winter out of some vintage corduroy but they didn't fit (still don't and they are still unfinished - just hems and belt tabs to go) and so I'll go up a size as I am sick of the ones I'm wearing that are too big in the waist to fit my hips.

I seem to have more focus on what I'm making lately... probably because everything I have is ill fitting or cheap bought stuff. This is partly because I don't buy good stuff because "I can make that" attitude added to "my fabric is too precious to cut" idiocy. I've decided that I'm just going to make things out of my nice fabric and be damned. What am I saving it for? I mean, when I think of it, I don't have too many wadders (I can execute the sewing no problem but it's the fitting that gets me) and I have 4 sisters, a Mum and a niece so I have lots of takers it something doesn't fit.  Do you save your fabric or just go for it.