Making a 1940s Blouse - A Tutorial of Sorts
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- čas přidán 16. 09. 2020
- Let me know if you have any questions! If you make a blouse after watching this video, I'd love to see it! Please tag me on Instagram where I'm @graciesews.
This is the first video that I filmed and edited entirely myself (though Oli helped advise on color correcting, and they made the thumbnail). I definitely have a lot to learn, but overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
Resources:
Linen fabric - burnleyandtrowbridge.com/coll...
Buttons - www.etsy.com/listing/79046503...
Waistband lining fabric - www.etsy.com/shop/PiperPark
Simplicity 8447 - www.simplicity.com/simplicity... (buy this from a local fabric store if you can!)
Useful buttonhole tutorial: • Video
The cow print in the background of the shots of the shirt being worn is by Addie Best Studios. You can find her beautiful work here: www.addiebeststudio.com
Want to support this channel? You can do so here: ko-fi.com/graciepatten
My blog: graciesews.wordpress.com
My Instagram: graciesews...
Oli's Instagram: paleooli?h...
Music:
"Bittersweet Waltz" by Sir Cubworth
"C Major Prelude" by Bach
"No.4 Piano Journey" by Esther Abrami
"Clouds" by Huma-Huma - Krátké a kreslené filmy
I literally paused my making of this shirt to seek videos of someone else making it because I couldn't visualize the collar and front. Thank you for this ultra timely video!
Yay! I'm glad it was timely!
The pattern books have zero camp shirts or simple blouses. It is a style waiting to boom for making attractive tops for jeans and shorts. I used to make them a lot with cute touches like big buttons or crochet but today can't find any patterns at all. Now with air conditioning getting more expensive the universal tee is a bit sweaty in hot weather.
Thanks for this excellent talk...you're a good teacher.
This blouse is my new favorite thing ever! I have to make one for myself. After suffering through a summer without air conditioning, I’m determined to get more hot weather friendly fabrics into my wardrobe before next summer.
Thank you! Linen blouses like this are the best.
This was very helpful for this style of 40s collar, and I am not even using the same pattern… I’m making a playsuit. It’s nice to see a tutorial without video being sped up too.
Wow, that was wonderful!!! Great work. Really liked your collar and lapel changes. Very efficient.
I hand fell my sleeve/shoulder seam. I always lightly mark the fabric, 0.25" down on the shoulder arm scye and 0.25'' on the sleeve head. Then I pin the edge of the sleeve against the marked line on the bodice and pin/tack/backstitch/machine stitch along the line on the sleeve head, gathering if needed. I simply then fold the arm scye edge over the sleeve edge, tack then fold again and whip stitch flat. I usually use cotton, linen or a cotton/linen mix for my blouses or dresses and find that this makes for a stronger seam as well as covering the raw edges. Plus it isn't too bulky, even when using heavier linen (which is more readily available here where we don't have the hot weather) and it lasts. It takes longer but I've been doing this for several years now and I find it works fine, the edges don't fray even in a washing machine and definitely not from frequent wearing. That includes summer weight blouses/tops made from butter/cheese muslin.
This is so cute I want a super cropped version !!!
For your armscye finishing, you could encase the seam in bias binding, or you could hand fell it down! I'm partial to felling it. Or serging but that's modern nonsense 😂
Thanks! That's a good idea with the felling. Maybe I'll try that! I don't have a serger, but I bet that would be a good option for people who do have one!
Very nice video! I have a vintage blouse pattern which fits me well,;your cute changes will be nice for that. Thanks!
I think someone else mentioned using a woven fabric for interfacing. For light weight blouses I often use cotton lawn, or even silk organza. You can always use self interfacing as well. I like a bit of interfacing when I am sewing buttonholes, but usually I am sewing machine buttonholes; I don’t think hand buttonholes need it quite so much.
As for the armhole edge, I would cut down the seam allowance to 1/4 or 3/8 inch, and overcast the edges by hand, as my vintage sewing books recommend, then press the seam allowance toward the sleeve. I have done this, and it works quite well.
When I was making my wedding dress, my grandmother made short, neat work of the tiny buttonholes at the waistband. Like you, she made them by hand, and they were perfect. It took her less than five minutes each. Of course, she was born in 1900, and she always made her buttonholes by hand. I aspire to become as proficient at hand buttonholes as you and my grandmother was and you are!
Thank you! Overcasting the armscyes is a good idea; maybe I'll try that next time! When I'm doing buttonholes not on linen, I usually add some sort of interfacing (often a layer of linen or cotton), but the silk organza could be interesting, especially on finer fabrics! I have some 1940s rayon that I want to make into a blouse, and I think organza interfacing at the button placket would be good.
I aspire to be as fast at stitching buttonholes as your grandmother! They still take me about 15-20 minutes each, especially on fabric like this which isn't very fine, because I count threads in the weave around the buttonhole slit to ensure that my stitches are even.
Good luck with your vintage blouse pattern! That sounds awesome.
I think the video looked really good and I liked how blousey the shirt looked!
One thing I am sure of 1940/50 sleeve hems, they are at least an inch deep, skirts about 3 inches deep. I don't do that for skirt hems any more but I have shortened sleeve hems some.
I normally french seam the arm hole. It took a bit of practise, but, the seam looks clean when it’s finished with french seam.
that's a good tip! Thanks
Thank you so much. I bought this pattern and some plain ivory coloured cotton to make this shirt as a birthday present for a friend, so ultra important it looked neat and professional, despite this being my first pattern sewing since school - longer ago than I would like to admit, and my first ever shirt. Fantastic video, which combined with a few others on stitches, important do's and don'ts when sewing a pattern, and the pattern instructions (which to me did look more incomprehensible than building a wardrobe from a well known Scandi flat pack company), I have almost completed the shirt. As I don't have the model to fit it to, I didn't do the fitted waistband, and intend to do front pleats or possibly darts to make it more flattering, and having read the coments below did French seams for the arms/armholes, which worked brilliantly, I now have NO raw edges, and an almost complete shirt with which I am really pleased. Thank you so so so much. Brilliant tips and help. Really appreciated.
I like how the facing is joined with the collar. The All State pattern by Merchant and Mills was similar. I love that waistband, too!
Thank you, this was helpful. I wasn't understanding how the collar was going to attach in a vintage pattern I'm working on. This helped to explain. New to sewing vintage clothing.
glad it was helpful! good luck with your vintage project
Thank you for taking the time to make this incredibly helpful video.
And yeah. Climate change is intense.
I haven't got very far into the video yet, but just wanted to say your glasses are really cute! I often find that "cats eye" type frames are too big and overwhelm my face, which is especially annoying because of my strong-ish prescription that distorts my temples, but yours are just the right size! I stumbled upon your video because I'm in the process of making the 8447 trousers and I'm planning on the blouse next (or possibly a similar pattern I have from a book...or maybe both). Love the minty green colour!
Loved the video and the blouse! I’m off to get this pattern and another Burnley and Trowbridge linen order!
yay!
I love this!! Can't wait to try it out myself!
What a darling blouse! I love the contrasting accent you used in the interior.
Thank you!
Thank you for this video! Trying to sew my first blouse ever next week, and your tricks to keep things 'clean' is going to help.
I'm glad I could help! Good luck!!!
What a lovely blouse, looks great
I love your tutorial. I have been looking for the perfect pattern to make myself some shirts. Thank you.
this was really interesting, I like watching how individual sewists approach the engineering of sewing, thanks very much! You promised a link to a good tutorial on hand sewing button holes? I like the look too, and I used to do them all the time, but that was, gasp, 40 years ago ;0. Thanks again, it is a very cute blouse.
Thank you! The buttonhole tutorial is linked in the description box, below the list of resources.
Idk if you'll read this but I found your video when I was looking for tutorials how to sew a blouse from this pattern and wanted to thank you for it! Your instructions are so clear and informational that I decided to screw the pattern and just do everything as you told :D I'm just learning how to sew, it was my first time sewing with a pattern and my blouse has some issues like wonky seams but I'm sure I'll be remaking it and watching your video for the 100th time :D Thank you so much
oh my goodness I'm so glad the video was helpful for you! congratulations on sewing with a pattern for the first time!
What a great tutorial, thank you! I love longer videos personally, but I like your videos regardless of length!
Two questions:
1) the linen you used, is it a medium weight or a light weight linen? I haven't worked with linen before and I can't tell from the video
2) what does your pin say at the beginning of the video?
Thank you! The linen I used is classified as light weight I think, but a medium weight would probably work just as well (the blouse might be a little more structured though). My pin is a D20 dice that says "roll with pride" on a rainbow banner.
@@GraciePattenSewing Thanks! Also, cool pin!
I saw the post and I fell in love immediately! You’re so talented, thanks for sharing ❣️
I loved this, such a lovely work
I only just came across your channel and I love the fabric and colours you have chosen
thanks!
Beautiful work! The fit looks lovely.
Thank you!
This was such a wonderful tutorial, thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. I've almost bought this pattern a few times, but always thought it might be too tricky - after watching this video I think I might give it a go! Take care :)
I'm glad you liked it! Good luck if you make the shirt.
re: interfacing, yeah, I have problems with it as well. It always gets bubbly, or I can't seem to iron it without a crease. I thought it was just me. I am tempted to move into sew in interfacing, using light weight fabrics
Yeah, for light weight fabrics I honestly just use a heavy cotton as "interfacing" - the iron in stuff just doesn't do the trick
Can u make the sleeves puffier? I'm OBSESSED puffy sleeves
yeah, just at some volume to the sleeve head! if you look up puff sleeve pattern, you should get some ideas for how to alter the pattern.
I'm trying to sew this exact pattern and I'm so confused. No idea what I'm doing 😂
ooof, good luck!
Still haven't finished
Ahhh you have my sympathies, but this update made me laugh!
@@Saxinful haha, I'm done now and even made some little bound buttons for the cuffs