Blogger Network #12 – Polka Dot Peter Pan Blouse

Time for March’s Minerva Blogger Network post! In amongst all the wind, rain and snow that have graced the country recently we’ve also been getting a fair few sunny days here in the UK – Spring is definitely coming! In celebration of the Spring, this month’s project is a lightweight, warm-weather blouse – perfect for those first sightings of snowdrops.

The pattern I used for this project is the Simple Sew Peter Pan Collar Blouse. I’ve never used a Simple Sew pattern before but when I noticed that Minerva Crafts had started stocking them I thought it was about time I gave one a try. The pattern itself is printed on sturdy paper (rather like Tilly’s patterns) making it very easy to cut out and work with – which is great for beginners or people who really do want a ‘Simple Sew’.

The blouse is simply made up of a front panel, two back panels and the Peter Pan collar. I do love a good collar, they make even the most basic of outfits look a bit more dressed up. If you’ve never sewn a collar before then you’ll have to trust me on this one, but they really are quite easy to make! Each side of the collar is made up of two pieces of fabric with interfacing in between which you just baste onto the neckline and then, when you attach the bias binding, a finished collar magically appears! It really is a ‘wow, I did that!’ moment.

The fabric I used for my blouse is a black and white polka dot cotton poplin. It’s very soft (and lightweight) making it an ideal choice for a project like this. It’s also very easy to sew with and doesn’t cost the earth! I only used about 1 metre of it for this blouse and then used a very small piece of leftover black cotton for the contrasting collar, plus some white bias binding for the armholes and black binding for the neckline.

The back of the blouse also features a row of 5 buttons (I used these polka dot buttons). This is perhaps the only part of the project that needs quite a bit of skill! Button holes seem to be a struggle for all seamstresses, but I used my machine and got there in the end. Remember to make your button holes big enough so that your button can fit through it – there’s my tip for that!

What do you think of it overall? I like to wear it tucked into a skirt but I’m sure it’d look just as smart worn on top of a pair of black skinny jeans. Let’s just hope the sunshine sticks around so I can wear it more often!