Thursday, August 9, 2012

Oliver + S Class Picnic Blouse


The Oliver + S Class Picnic Blouse is the latest item I have added to Piper's fall clothing collection.  I'll be honest and say I'm not crazy about it.  For a peasant type top, I thought the pattern was a little fussy. Generally the entire collar/sleeve area around the top of the blouse is turned under into a casing for elastic on a peasant top.  For this one, only the sleeves were used to create a casing for the elastic.  It required using a bias strip around the top of the sleeve to make the casing and it was very finicky to work with.  I'm also not sure about the fabric.  I thought I liked it, but after I got started I began to think that maybe it was too much.  Piper's cute, I'm sure she can pull it off.

I added piping under the front yoke just to break it up a little and thought it helped to tone everything down just a little.


The sleeves are a 3/4 sleeve and were supposed to be finished with a standard fold under hem (is that a term or did I just make that up?).  I changed it up a little by creating a bias binding and gathering the sleeve ever so slightly.  Piper was asleep when I was doing this, so I wasn't able to measure her or I might have gathered it more.  I wanted to be sure she could still get her arm through it so I only took it in about 1/2 an inch.


A little word of advice.  When you are adding your own "touch" to a pattern and it requires that you do it more than once, be sure to finish them at the same time.  I did one sleeve and had to stop working because nap time was over so I didn't get to finish the other sleeve until a day or so later.  I completely forgot what I had done.  I sat there for about 10 minutes inspecting my work trying to figure out how I had finished the first sleeve.  Finally it came to me and I think they are the same (or at least they look like they are).  

I don't hate this top.  Piper will wear it.  I just don't think I'm in a hurry to make another.  

I think I'm going to try to do some knit tops/dresses next.  We're almost ready for fall!


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