Why make one Nina Lee pattern, when you can make two?!
I thought that the Bloomsbury Blouse would be the perfect compliment to my recently made Portobello Trousers.
I had seen a few versions of the Bloomsbury and thought it looked like a great work wear staple.
I bought some lovely patterned rayon from Stoff & Stil when I was at the Knitting & Stitching show earlier in the month specifically for this blouse.
I decided to make the version with the smaller ruffle as I preferred the look of that one – I cut out the fabric for the neck ruffle too but decided it might be a step too far so I omitted it when it came to construction.
It sewed up really easily and the instructions were really clear. I love the idea of snipping into the seam allowance of the yoke to make it easier to join to the bodice – as the edges are all stay stitched, it means it won’t go out of shape but gives you enough room to manipulate it.
The fabric was lovely to work with and I’m really pleased with it, as it is not a light floaty rayon but has a nice weight to it so it is warmer.
I was worried that the ruffles would make me feel like a clown but I think they are really chic and I had lots of compliments when I wore the blouse out for the first time.
And can we take a moment to talk about how stunning these ceramic buttons from Beyond Measure are?! I spotted them at the Knitting & Stitching show too and thought they would be the perfect shade to complement the fabric.
I would love to make another version of this top maybe in a plain black with a contrast yoke or ruffle.
Next time, I may make the sleeves a fraction longer and also, I will make sure I overlock the sleeve/ruffle seam really close to the stitching line as it does want to peep out.
This looks lovely! The fabric looks gorgeous and works perfectly as a blouse. I love the buttons too!
Great fabric choice making a lovelyblouse. Looks spot on for autumn too, and definitely on trend.
[…] made a couple of Nina’s patterns previously – the Portabello trousers and the Bloomsbury blouse and I absolutely love them both so had high hopes for the […]