It's Monday! I've got some good news for you ladies on the 9-5. Itch to Stitch came out with a new collection today and all the pieces are perfect for work! You can see the entire collection here. I tested the Zamora Blouse and I'll share some thoughts with you below and a million pictures.
The Zamora Blouse is a deep cut Pussy Bow blouse with pin tucks and darts galore. It features gently gathered sleeves and cuffs, waist and bust darts, curved hem, and staggered pin tucks down the front. The buttons on the front are fully functioning because this is a fitted blouse. You may be able to slip it over your head, but most likely not. The design is fantastic and totally my aesthetic. It's slim fitted and low cut but still work appropriate. That's a win on all accounts for me. :)
Here's a close up of the pin tucks on the front. There are 4 on each side. Pin tucks are a labor of love. But when treated with patience, damn. They look so nice! The instructions on this part are fantastic if you've never sewn them before. Kennis explains it very well! The top piece is staggered for each tuck and each fold lines up perfect after all the tucks are sewn in place.
I did struggle with the waist darts. I've sewn darts before but every dart I've sewn has been on the edge of the fabric in some capacity. The waist darts on the front and back are in the middle of the fabric which was a little more fiddly, but it really helped to create a fitted blouse and was totally worth the struggle. (Plus, great practice! I love getting new skills under my belt.)
I blended sizes to create my blouse. The pattern comes with sizes 00-20. Based on my measurements, I sewed a size 0 for the waist 27" - size 2 for the bust 34" - and size 4 for the hips 37", and a B cup. Blending these sizes was easy because the Zamora features layers, so I just printed the three sizes I needed and gradually blended them together as I cut the paper out. The fit feels fantastic. There are some visible drag lines under my bust. Unfortunately I'm not experienced enough to know what caused this or how I can fix it. So I'll be doing some research!
The back has a small pleat and two darts at the waist. I meant to photograph the inside of my blouse, too. Unfortunately I forgot but I did do french seams, so the inside is pretty neat, too.
Note to self: Read. This pattern comes with cup sizes, so if you are a C cup and a size 6, you'll sew a different size than if you're a B cup and a size 6. It's pretty fantastic and helps to customize your fit without a ton of modifications you have to do yourself. All this being said - there a lot of pages to print that you don't need (you only need your size / cup size) Kennis provides a print chart on page 5 to tell you what pages you need to print according to your cup size, then you can choose to use the layers function and only print your specific size.
Can you guess already? Yep. I printed every page and pieced them all together before I realized that I was taping together a D cup. So not my chest size. :) So, check out page 5 before you print! You're welcome. :)
This is my "I'll totally answer the phone and do professional office work, but I'll also probably wink at you." Outfit. It got second glances from the fiance... which is saying something if he's immersed in League of Legends.
Here's my lay flat picture. So adorable! Can I confess that I actually hate this fabric. I love the buttons, but the fabric is bleh. Blue is just not my color, yet somehow I own a TON of blue. Fabric aside, I love my blouse. I will be making more for work! I actually wore it for work today and got a ton of compliments.
This is a little less test related but more ... "I got my new sewing machine!!!" related. JUST LOOK AT THESE BUTTON HOLES! HOLY CRAP! It was such a breeze to sew these button holes. No muss, no fuss. I even did extra buttons because I picked up a smaller size. (Hey, they matched so well!) That's pretty unheard of though, amirite? Extra button holes by choice? Yes, I have lost my mind. Directly into my Janome Skyline S7.
YAAASSSS!
I loved sewing the Zamora blouse. It was a total labor of love. I believe I spend about 6 hours on this blouse alone. I opted to do french seams as my fabric was so prone to fray. All the darts and pin tucks took time, however - wasn't it totally worth it? I am super proud of this blouse and I can't wait to have a collection of them. I believe Kennis puts a ton of work into her patterns to make them impeccable.
There is everything you'd expect in a professional pattern, grain lines, notches, (I believe it's called trueing? When all the folds for the pin tucks make a straight line when they're sewn?), cup sizes, encased neckline and cuffs, drawn instructions, clear directions, layer printing, printing layout, tips for new techniques, and a classic design.
If you are interested in the Zamora Blouse, you can get it here.
The new releases and entire shop is on sale through March 13th, 2016 with code 4releases.
Details
Pattern: Itch to Stitch Zamora Blouse $12
Fabric: Clearance at Hobby Lobby Fall 2014. 2 yards $12
Notions
Buttons: $.99
Thread: $.50
Estimated total cost $25.49
I received the Zamora Blouse pattern for free in exchange for testing it.
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