Monday 10 February 2014

Wearing History Smooth Aviator blouse!





Hello all!
Some time ago, I ordered some cotton fabric from Spoonflower. It is designed by Charlotte over at Tuppence Ha'penny . Long time ago I saw her blouse and wanted one!! I just had to find the right pattern for it.

The Smooth sailing blouse pattern from Wearing History is one that I really like. I used it for my birdcage blouse, and got to thinking it would be awesome with spitfire planes too!
When I found this adorable RAF sweetheart propeller pin on Etsy, the deal was sealed. I had to sew a blouse for it!

Isn't it just lovely??


I wanted the blouse to have a touch of 'uniform', something suited for a lady of the RAF. So the giant puffed sleeves originally in the pattern had to go. I trimmed off  3/4" of the sleeve heads, and made shoulder pleats to get an outward puff instead. I had to play around with it, but I think it looks rather smart. I also added a little buttoned down shoulder tab, for added 'masculinity'. I drafted my own chest pocket, which also was meant to have a tab, but I decided to just keep it plain.


Pleated shoulder and tabs.

The fabric is the cheapest option on Spoonflower, I didn't have any experience with them, so I just ordered this to try out. It is computer printed for you when you order, so there's a 2" edge all around your fabric piece that is NOT printed, just plain white. The fabric itself was rather narrow to begin with (110cm) so one should really take this into account when ordering. It felt  a bit stiff at first, and didn't soften much in the wash, but it didn't bleed much, so I am hoping the color keep up with wear. It creases easily, and get pin marks like nothing else, not to mention if you have to rip a seam. So I tried to keep errors at a minimum.
If I order again, I will try a better fabric :)


(Do your buttons, tart!)


When I came in from my photo session, I noticed I have one button undone on all the pictures. Oopsie.
It was getting dark, so these are the photos you get :) Also, if I was to change anything about the blouse, I think the pocket should be placed a bit down, and more to the side. Oh well.








All in all, VERY happy with this blouse! It turned out just how I wanted it to. Also it was much quicker to sew up second time around, and that helps a lot (and keeps the cursing and swearing to a tolerable level). I must be improving! I have this fabric in green too, so there will be more Spitfires!




29 comments:

  1. Very, very fun and cute! Great idea using the thematic fabric!

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    1. Thank you Erin ;) I love a bit of whimsy, and now I want one of those Airforce Side caps too!

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  2. Amazing, I am very jealous of this blouse! It fits you perfectly - great job!

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  3. Very nice! And what a great Etsy find! Love the fabric and the blouse pattern is gorgeous!

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    1. Thanks, Anthea! It such fun when all the pieces just falls together perfectly, finding that pin was really what made it all happen :)

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  4. Fabulous! I love it! The new sleeve caps look great and I love the tab! Which fabric type did you order? I'm dying to order some if Charlottes fabric...

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    1. Thanks Debi! I just ordered the cheapest option, basic combed cotton. It is ok for everyday blouses and shirts, but next time I think I will try something else. Maybe cotton silk, or silk crepe de chine. So many lovely fabrics!

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  5. Ooo, I love this! I've had that fabric on my wish list for awhile. So great to see what it looks like up close on your shirt. Beautiful!

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    1. Thank you Lauren! The Spitfires are adorable, I love how they look subtle from a distance, instead of screaming CRAZY PLANE BLOUSE! The color on this one is great too. I have some in Olive green, can't wait to sew it up!

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  6. It looks great. I love the shoulder tabs.

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  7. A very sharp blouse on you, and your novelty print is spot on. Well done!

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  8. Oohh! This fabric has been on my wish list forever! Thanks for the inspiration!

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    1. You are very welcome :) And thank you, for visiting!

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  9. Such a lovely fabric. The blouse looks fantastic on you. Great job with changing the sleeve head

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    1. Thanks, Kaitlyn! I wasn't sure how those sleeves heads would turn out, I was kind of hacking away blindly for a minute there:)

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  10. Beautiful Siri and so cleverly constructed. The aviator print is gorgeous and you've created a truly unique little blouse, well done. Is blue your favourite colour?

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    1. Thanks ;) Funny you should ask. Just a little while ago, blue was one of my least favorite colors. But now I suddenly like it quite much, and it suits me rather well I think :) Green is my favorite! And yet I haven't made a single green thing.....(?)

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  11. It looks great on you! I love the changes you've made to the original; they really suit this version. That colour looks amazing with your hair too! Beautiful job, well done :)

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    1. Thanks Danielle! The color is great, however I always thought the green one would be made up first :) I love them both!

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  12. Isn't spoonflower amazing? great job on the blouse, it looks fantastic.

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    1. Thank you Barbara! Spoonflower is a great concept, and so many lovely designs. I can browse that site for ages :D

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  13. This is so pretty! I love the idea of the airplanes and the pin together. Very vintage. And the blue color? Perfect!!! I look forward to seeing what you make with the green and I do hope the fabric holds up to washing :-)

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  14. It looks great, I love the print. I have been curious about spoonflower. Thanks for the review.

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  15. Seriously stellar blouse! That colour is incredibly beautiful on you. Red + dusty blue is a powerfully lovely combination. You really, really look tremendous!

    ♥ Jessica

    *PS* Thank you very much for your wonderfully nice comment on yesterday's post. I too feel that blogging helps me feel more connected with others (as it, factually, does) and find that to be one of the biggest perks of the experience of being a blogger for me.

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