Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse

Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse

I've spent a lot of time poking around the Sew Over It website since I started sewing. I keep an eye in case a class is scheduled that I can attend, and I have looked around the online shop for fabric and patterns....never bought anything though. I certainly made up for it when I attended the Knit and Stitch show at Alexandra Palace! I bought couple of patterns and fabric from Lisa at the Sew Over It stall, inspired by the demo garments on show (and I am super groupie happy that she signed this one for me!). There are two versions that you can select - Version 1 has a keyhole opening and Version 2 has a V neck style. I chose version 2 for my blouse. It's taken me a while to get around to this but here it is!

Fabric

The fabric I used was the one used to show the pattern on the stall. It's a navy blue chiffon with white splodges at £12 per metre (you can buy it online here). It is sheer with a lovely silky feel, and refuses to crease. I think it looks great in this pattern.
But....
It frays like you wouldn't believe. Even cutting with sharp rotary cutters caused fraying, and it took longer to make than anticipated because I was constantly trimming frayed edges. Also the fact it doesn't crease will be really useful, but it doesn't help in construction. I ended up using Wonder Tape to get the bottom hems stable enough to sew straight! I was happy though that I got to use a pair of buttons that I had bought and not needed for a different project.

Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse

Pattern and Instructions

The pattern pieces are presented in fairly standard tissue with lots of size gradings, and are found in the back of the pattern wallet. I had difficulties getting from pattern to fabric due to the fabric I had chosen so ended up cutting without chalk markings. There weren't a lot of markings to transfer in the end but it was very time consuming due to my fabric choice.

One notable issue is that it isn't overly obvious at the start that you need to cut an additional strip of bias for the cuff loops. I understand it's a small piece (10cm x 4cm) but it's something you'd want to factor in before you threw away fabric scraps after cutting. I also know that many people probably read carefully through instructions before they start - obviously I wasn't that thorough....

Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse Pattern and Instructions

This is an 'Intermediate' level pattern, and the instructions are in their own booklet. Each step is clearly described and there are some illustrations to help too. I supplemented these with the Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse Sewalong on the blog. Though the steps in the sewalong deviate from the instruction booklet it does have colour photos that illustrate how each stage should look, and gives a comforting reassurance for less experienced sewists. Using the two together I managed to get a fairly good idea of what I needed to do. Some steps are a little complicated, and take a while to understand (mainly centred around constructing and attaching the necktie).

I did encounter some construction difficulties due to my fabric choice...I needed to use French seams and neither the booklet nor the sewalong covered this. (I use this tutorial for French Seams). I managed for the main but attaching the necktie was really tricky, and to be honest I think I did a shoddy job. Hopefully nobody will look too closely....

Alterations

I used a size 10, based on my measurements, and didn't alter any of the sizings. I was concerned that the sleeves might be too tight or long but everything fits just fine. If I make this again I may lower the front V slightly but that's it. 

Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse in navy chiffon

Conclusions

I love how my finished project looks. I intended to wear this for work but will be taking it out for lunch as well! The slight gather where the sleeves are set into the shoulders adds a feminine twist, and the high collar of the necktie means this looks good with hair tied up too.

I would love to try this in a fabric that doesn't require French seams, as this really made the whole process so much more difficult, and I think I would do a better job. My fabric choice has a lovely finished look but was not easy to work with at all. I also haven't included the thread colour that I used as I don't think it was a good enough match (you can see some of my terrible necktie work more easily because of this).

This is definitely an intermediate level pattern, and I would recommend it to an experienced friend. 
I have another pussy bow blouse pattern from the book that accompanied The Great British Sewing Bee that I would be keen to try out and compare for ease of use. How does this pattern compare for you?

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Welcome to Sewing and Other Stories; my journeys with sewing and knitting; pattern reviews, tips and guides for beginners. I'm also the designer behind West Beach Knits knitting patterns and I host a Knitting and Sewing channel on YouTube where you can see all of this in person. Come have a look!

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