It’s safe to say I’m in love with this pattern!  The Brunch Blouse released today and I’ve already made three.  With fabric for two more…

This pattern, by P4P, is drafted for apparel fabrics with a soft drape (sorry, quilting cotton!), includes lots of options, dolman sleeves and has a semi-fitted silhouette.  Perfection if you ask me!  I sew so many knits, it can be nice to sew something more sturdy with different technique now and then.  Plus, the woven fabrics tend to feel a little more “dressed up”, which is a good change of pace for my wardrobe.  I may or may not be guilty of wearing 100% brushed poly ensembles.  To work.  Multiple days in a row.

I used fabric from Sincerely Rylee for both of these!  Highly recommend, love the prints and quality.  The maroon/white is a rayon challis (so soft) and the mustard one is a georgette crepe.  The drape is great on both and they worked very well!

As you can see here (with my somewhat questionable pattern matching), the back is actually two pieces, with a built in sway back adjustment.  Ummm, yes please!  For those unaware, a sway back is when the small of your back curves inward somewhat significantly, which can contribute to bunchy/baggy fabric pooling in that area.  It’s also quite common and very noticeable with woven fabrics in particular.  The way these back pieces are drafted cuts back on this and creates a more fitted, flattering silhouette.

The neckline is finished with bias binding.  I ended up making my own because guess what?!  The fabric store is closed at 8pm on Labor Day.  Surprise!  This was actually a good scrap project and I really enjoyed making it.

This pattern sews up pretty quickly, even for me, and I found it to be a satisfying project.  There’s a dress length, placket option, tank version, cap sleeve, and waist tie option, making it pretty freaking awesome.  I’ve worn all of mine at least once and received compliments, so that’s cool too!

Let’s talk about fit adjustments I did made.  For both of these I made the cuffed sleeve, curved hem version (though I didn’t add the tabs to the striped one).  In the middle of this pattern test, I realized that 99% of my “armsyce too tight and digging into my armpits” issue is caused by my somewhat broad upper back.

I recently took a bunch of my measurements and compared them to a standard measurement chart, which confirmed a lot of what I know (I’m tall!  I have long arms!  I have a short torso for being tall!)  Additionally is showed that my upper back is broad for my proportions.  This was something I’ve suspected for a while but wasn’t totally sure about.  Because sometimes shirts fit fine and other times the armpits fit badly.  I’ve learned that if you’re going to make fit adjustments, you should start at the top and go down because you may fix some of your issues at the top.

So I made the straight size M as usual and (my fear validated) the armpits were tight.  With a woven, this is just too uncomfortable.  So, I looked a little closer at the measurement chart and lo and behold, my upper bust measurement is in between the M and L.  Technically, my upper back is too wide for the size M!  So, I graded the shoulders through upper waist a L to the rest M, and it’s a perfect fit.  No more pulling or pinching at all!  Even with a dolman sleeve.  All of the pictures you see here are this correct grading.

The only other fit adjustment I made was adding my usual 1″ in length for my height.  That’s it!  So, all in all this is a super easy fix for my previously very frustrating “armpit issue”.  I tried this on a knit pattern again recently and it also worked there as well.  I’ll keep testing it out but hopefully I’ve found the golden ticket!

The pattern is on sale through the weekend so get on it!  There’s also a girls’ version and a bundle!  This is a definite winner for me and I can’t wait to make more!  I always hope to make more of things but I know I will for this one because these tops are so wearable – and I already have the fabric! 😉

Elisabeth

Pattern: Patterns for Pirates Brunch Blouse | Fabric: rayon challis and Georgette crepe, Sincerely Rylee