Ottobre blouse

[dolcevita]

I need a few lightweight cotton shirts for my wardrobe, so this is the first of at least 2, perhaps 3. The pattern is an old Ottobre one from 2012, chosen for its nicely shaped waist, back shoulder darts and a known good fit.
The fabric is from the Indian supplier, Itokri. A soft plain weave lawn weight cotton with a charmingly out-of-alignment hand block print. It's a casual shirt so I can easily live with the slightly random nature of the print. The fabric itself is lovely  - very soft and breathable, perfect for warm weather.
I made a bulk free 1 piece collar as I didn't want chunky corners at the collar points. I do like this method for reducing bulk in that area; it also makes topstitching less fraught as the needle doesnt get jammed in all those layers squished into the point.
I shall most likely make a white one next; I'm very fond of a nice white shirt as it's such a versatile garment.  [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]    [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]  

[Acorn]

Lovely - does the fabric feel as nice as it looks?

[dolcevita]

Lovely - does the fabric feel as nice as it looks?

Thank you! And, yes! It's slightly lofty with a very subtle fuzz, but an open weave. I will see if I can get a close up photo.

[dolcevita]

Here you are.

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[SkoutSews]

Very nice shirt, in a easy-going print. It's always good to find a pattern to return to time after time for wardrobe basics. I don't have any Ottobre mags from 2012, so I'm not familiar with that one. I've made 'Vignette' from 5/2016 before and am planning a repeat - when I get that far down the 'to-do' list!

Just seen your close-up, that's going to be so comfortable to wear.

[Ohsewsimple]

Looks very nice.  I made a couple of blouses some years ago from some Indian cotton.  That also has a slightly fuzzy surface.  Problem was it kept catching on my cardigans and jackets.   Drove me nuts!

I cut out an Ottobtre pattern for a blouse.  But found the sleeve was symmetrical.  Haven’t gone any further with it as I’m not sure if that will work.  Are they usually like that? 

[dolcevita]

Very nice shirt, in a easy-going print. It's always good to find a pattern to return to time after time for wardrobe basics. I don't have any Ottobre mags from 2012, so I'm not familiar with that one. I've made 'Vignette' from 5/2016 before and am planning a repeat - when I get that far down the 'to-do' list!

Just seen your close-up, that's going to be so comfortable to wear.

Thanks, @Acorn . For what it's worth, 5/2012 was an absolute corker of an issue. If you get the urge to buy a back copy at any time, I'd recommend this one as being one of the best in the last decade. I've made at least 7 of the designs many times, including jeans, a jacket and a coat. Be warned, though, there is a super-weird dress in there. It wouldn't be Ottobre if there weren't something odd in there where the arctic pixies have been at work with their magic mushrooms.

[dolcevita]

Looks very nice.  I made a couple of blouses some years ago from some Indian cotton.  That also has a slightly fuzzy surface.  Problem was it kept catching on my cardigans and jackets.   Drove me nuts!

I cut out an Ottobtre pattern for a blouse.  But found the sleeve was symmetrical.  Haven’t gone any further with it as I’m not sure if that will work.  Are they usually like that?

No, that's really unusual for Ottobre, @Ohsewsimple . Their drafting is usually excellent and shaped sleeves are the norm. Mind you, their latest issue is devoid of shaping of any sort at all - just a bunch of potato sacks, really.

[Efemera]

@dolcevita ... bulk free 1 piece collar?

[dolcevita]

@dolcevita ... bulk free 1 piece collar?

I will put a post into the tutorials section to make this easier to find if anyone would like to use the method.

In a nutshell, though, if you have a straight edged collar (it doesn't work with rounded ones, as you will see), it's normally cut in two pieces, the top and bottom, with a seam all the way around the outer edge. This makes the collar points really bulky and can distort the points quite badly. To avoid this, you rearrange the way the collar is cut so that it's joined at the centre back and then sewn only along the long outer edge. This eliminates a lot of the bulk, looks better and is easier to press and sew. It's easier to explain with a few photos. Hang on in there!

Here you are - a quick tutorial on a simple but effective collar method

[Ohsewsimple]

No, that's really unusual for Ottobre, @Ohsewsimple . Their drafting is usually excellent and shaped sleeves are the norm. Mind you, their latest issue is devoid of shaping of any sort at all - just a bunch of potato sacks, really.

I might have a look at some of the other sleeves out of interest.  I would avoid sleeves like this as a rule. 

[Ohsewsimple]

I think I saw Nancy Zeiman do this bulk free collar some years ago.  Also Louise Cutting from Threads Magazine. 

[Renegade Sewist]

I think I saw Nancy Zeiman do this bulk free collar some years ago.  Also Louise Cutting from Threads Magazine.

@Ohsewsimple yes, Louise Cutting is who I learned this technique from. The FiberGuild I used to belong to brought in experts for classes. I took a techniques class from Louise. This collar had jaws dropping on everyone.

@dolcevita when you said "super-weird dress" I knew which one you meant.  I have that issue. Is that #7 that you made?  I thought your shirt would look good with a horizontal seam and it turns out that it originally had one. That split might be a nice interest point for your white version.

[dolcevita]

It may well be Threads that I first saw it in - I make no claim to originality, just passing on a good technique.

Well spotted, @Renegade Sewist, it is #7, the Gardener shirt. I like the split and originally made it with that as I was using a checked fabric. I shall see what takes my fancy when I sew up the white fabric, I will have changed my mind at least 3 times by then! And that dress is one of the most bizarre things I had seen and has yet to be beaten in a dressmaking magazine. I can't but help think of jelly fish when I see it.

[Renegade Sewist]

That issue is a gem. I was smitten by the strange cropped sweater with the extra long sleeves.