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Norma Blouse by Fibre Mood
In this post, I will walk you through how I made this most beautiful blouse
The Fabric
This gorgeous rayon was generously gifted to me in exchange for a post. All comments and opinions are my own.
Jessie from LA finch Fabrics has a lovely collection and this Rayon is absolutely exquisite. It has a beautiful hand and drape and is opaque. It is perfect for any blouse or dress pattern. It was very easy to work and sew with.
If you are working with rayons for the first time, here are my tips for making this slippery fabric behave.
Before you Sew
1. Sew the cut ends of the fabrics together before washing. You a re basically making a long tube. This prevents the ends from fraying while in the wash for the first time. Cut out close to your stitch line once washed
2. I hang rayons to dry on a drying rack. I do not put them in the dryer. I do the same for the garments I make from these fabrics too.
3. To prep the fabric, I spray starch onto the fabric and then iron it in a rayon setting (this is setting 3 in my iron). When you iron, just use the lift and press motion on the wrong side of the fabric. Spraying starch to this kind of slippery fabric makes it more stable when you cut your pattern pieces.
While you Sew
4. I always use a smaller size needle to sew with lighter fabrics. I use 75/11 for rayons. Using a sharp needle will be important.
5. I also sew with a smaller stitch length. My machine defaults to a 2.5mm stitch length. I use a 2mm stitch length for lighter fabrics. You want the stitches to be tight but not too tight to cause puckers in the fabric.
6. I always steam press all my seams while I sew and use a tailor's clapper and ham to have great finishes.
The Pattern
I love so many of Fibre Mood's patterns. I love their style and they almost always fit me with minimal modifications.
This was the first pattern I tried with these statement sleeves. Previous to this blouse I never thought that large sleeve would be me, but lo and behold I am in love! Specifically these bell shaped sleeves looks phenomenal. Here it is again! :)
I usually cut out a size US 4/EU 36 for all patterns from Fibre Mood.
One common adjustment that I need to make is to shorten the torso around the shoulders. This is because my torso is almost petite and I am short-waisted. I shortened both the front necking, front facing and the back by 1inch. To compensate for the loss fabric of armcyse, I measured 1 inch below the armhole and blended in the line to form a new seam.
I love the cropped length of this hem and the sleeve length so I left them as is.
The construction of this blouse is straightforward. If you have sewn sleeves before, it is very simple.
The neckline is pretty low so there is no need to have actual buttonholes sewn in, My buttons are just directly sewn onto the front for esthetics.
Over all it is a great quick afternoon sew.
Techniques you will learn
If you choose to make this blouse, you will
1. Learn to sew a button facing
2. Learn to gather sleeves and sew them onto the bodice
3. Learn to gather the sleeves and sew a cuff
4. Sew buttons and buttonholes (if you wish)
Styling and hacks
