Panda Chiffon Blouse

Burda #128 8/2012 by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Hello my lovely readers – hope you had a great week so far!

I finally had time to edit the pictures I took of #11 of my 27 Dresses Challenge! Wow, it’s 11 already and there are more lovelies lying around here waiting to be finished (I guess I have to start saving some money for the overlock sewing machine soon:) )!

This chiffon blouse  was made from a cute panda fabric I got for  £1.20/m! No, fabrics normally aren’t that cheap here in London (too bad!), but there are some really inexpensive fabric stores near Walthamstow Central Station which, I guess, is no secret to London sewists. The downside is that the fabrics are not the very best quality and although they have a huge selection, I often can’t find want I am looking for.

For this blouse I actually wanted to go with the original Burdastyle pattern, using a white batiste and lace trim. Finding a nice lightweight white fabric shouldn’t be that hard, eh? Wrong! Couldn’t find it after being in at least five different fabric stores in Walthamstow.

This is the original “lace trim blouse”. You can get the pattern at burdastyle.

No white fabric, no lace trim! But I came across this cute Panda chiffon I couldn’t resist.

I basically, used the pattern as it was, ignoring the lace trims and using baby seams as seam finish. I’ll explain how to make baby seams in my next post!

The only problem I had with the pattern (or rather the chiffon fabric) was that the fabric pieces of the sleeves did not quite fit together at the edge. Look at this mess (and the cute pandas)!Burda #128 8/2012 by thisblogisnotforyou.com

After nagging at this for a while, I just trimmed off the excess fabric, widening the neckline a bit.

I love how versatile this version of the Burda blouse is! I tried to style it in different ways – let the pictures speak for themselves!

Burda #128 8/2012 by thisblogisnotforyou.com

The classic sheer look! With the high-cut neckline and the cuteness of the pandas this isn’t too bold.

Burda #128 8/2012 by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Also looks great with a belt!

Burda #128 8/2012 by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Burda #128 8/2012 by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Or all tied up!
Burda #128 8/2012 by thisblogisnotforyou.comBurda #128 8/2012 by thisblogisnotforyou.com

It’s super comfy and perfect for summer evenings!

Burda #128 8/2012 by thisblogisnotforyou.comI used 7mm elastic for the sleeves and at the waist in the front and back as well as 9 small buttons. I decided to use light pink thread instead of dark blue, to match the panda ears and to make the blouse look a bit more interesting.

Burda #128 8/2012 by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Burda #128 8/2012 by thisblogisnotforyou.com

For the button fasteing I made small loops out of the same fabric and sewed them on between the front edge and the facing strip/binding. Sewing on the buttons wasn’t too much fun when I want to finally get done! 🙂

Burda #128 8/2012 by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I love how easy it was to tweak the original pattern just a bit to make it look so different! Sometimes using fabric which is totally different from the one suggested can bring about awesome results. Just make sure you choose a fabric that is of about the same weight.

But be careful! If the pattern says you should use stretch fabric like knits or jersey, you really should. The fit of the garment is different when using pattern made for stretch fabrics. You might end up sewing a garment that is way too tight. When using non-stretch fabrics you will most often have to add a zipper or some other fastening. Keep that it mind when choosing a fabric for your pattern!

 

 

12 thoughts on “Panda Chiffon Blouse

  1. That is freakin adorable! I love the playful print with the posh cut! I tried chiffon the other day & my machine ate it. Apparently I have much to learn 🙂 you are gorgeous!

    1. Thanks Amy! 🙂 I had the same problem with all the chiffons I’ve worked with so far. That’s why I just bought a straight stitch foot (Amazon!). The problem with sewing with a “normal” foot, i.e. zig zag foot, is that the hole for the needle is large enough to drag the fabric in. This doesn’t happen with the straight stitch foot where the hole is really tiny. You only have to be careful not to set it on zigzag stitch, otherwise you might break the needle. xx

  2. Have you tried changing the needle plate? The straight stitch needle plate helps too, and the straight stitch foot helps to remind you that you can’t use any other types of stitch…

    Such a cute blouse, love the pandas!! 🙂

    1. I’m in love with this fabric, as well! Luckily I still have some left which might be enough for a summer dress!

  3. Super cute! I love, love, love how this turned out. I think the pic with it paired with the brown belt is my favorite, or maybe with it tied…ooh I like them all!

  4. It has pandas on it!!!!!!! How cute 😀

    seriously though this is an awesome blouse and I love how many options there are for styling, so versatile. I have recently been challenged to make more blouses, this will go on my inspiration list xxx

    1. Yeah i think the pandas are the best part of this blouse 🙂 i think blouses are much more challenging than dresses! Can’t wait to see with what you come up with! xx

    1. The pattern itself isn’t too difficult. I was a beginner when I made this. The trickiest bit was working with chiffon and understanding confusing Burdastyle instructions!x

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