I've had Pattern Magic: Volume 1 for a really long time now and keep going back to it for inspiration but have never actually attempted any of the designs. When I saw this crinkly yellow gingham fabric in a local fabric shop I knew it would be right for a little experimentation.
This blouse design is based on the "Tying a Bow A" pattern manipulation in Pattern Magic. I used my standard blouse block to make this bow design on a blouse rather than a dress. The entire bust dart and some extra fullness has gone into creating the front bow. I added a button extension to the center front seam and a little mandarin collar at the neck.
The grainlines in this blouse go in all sorts of directions. The initial plan was to add so much fullness that the fabric above the bow would be on the crossgrain. It turned out that this would have added too much fullness, so the grainline above the bust is now on the bias.
To continue the different grainlines on the back I added a yoke, which I had planned to cut on the bias, but didn't have enough fabric, so it ended up as a crosswise grain.
So, lots of messing with grainlines, but still a fun experiment.
I retained the waist shaping darts and added cuffs and sleeve plackets to the sleeves. Sleeve plackets are one of my favourite things to sew :) I use a pattern from an Australian sewing magazine and my own technique to sew them up. They turn out pretty well every time.
This experiment was a lot of fun and I really like the end result. It's a comfortable, easy-to-wear blouse with a bit of a twist, no one really expects. Most people who don't obsessively study pattern drafting don't really notice the manipulation that has gone into this blouse. Well, until you show them this:
Not a flattering way of wearing the blouse :)
Have you tried any Pattern Magic experiments? What are your thoughts?