I finished my Mathilde!
This has been in the making for over a month now. You'll remember my original post about it here. I'm not sure why, but I fell out of love with it when I was making it. There is absolutely no reason for this. The pattern was really easy to put together and it needed absolutely no adjustments for fit. The instructions were clear and I made the insides pretty (French seams). But for some reason I was dragging my heels making it. But once I'd got my Laurel and my Kelly out of the way, I forced myself to finish it before starting anything else. And the result?.... I LOVE IT! (Katy, you were so right!).
I think I was concerned about the fabric (the pink flowers) and the poufiness of the sleeves. I actually took about 6 inches out of the volume of each sleeve, but even so I was concerned they were still too full for my liking. I am not a full sleeve kinda girl. In truth, when wearing it, if I look down at myself, I don't really like it. I do think the sleeves are too full and the fabric a bit twee. But when I look in the mirror (or at the above photo) I really like it! Go figure. I think the various complements I received at work today helped, and I've resolved to just ignore my arms when wearing this top! :)
As I said above, the fit is great on this. I was in between the size 3 and 4 in terms of my bust measurement, but opted for the 3 since the finished garment sizing seemed to indicate it would be fine, and I'm glad I did. The 4 would have been too big.
The placket doesn't quite match up at the top or the bottom. I could easily resolve this if I moved the buttons.
I made the pin tucks first, and then cut the underlining (white cotton lawn) to match the same size. I then basted the underlining in place and from thereon in treated the 2 layers as one. The sleeves are unlined. There are French seams throughout, other than at the armscyes, where I used my overcast stitch, so the insides are pretty too. My pin tucks could be better, but their slight unevenness isn't obvious.
And that's it! Happy girl!
What I liked
Easy to sew. Great instructions (online). Fitted perfectly.
What I didn't like
Sleeves weren't my cup of tea.
Any alterations to fit?
Nope.
Did I change anything?
Took 5 inches of volume out of the sleeves.
Did I try anything new?
French seams (I actually had done these before I started my Laurel).
What would I do differently next time?
Nothing
Will I make it again?
Possibly. I'm not sure I can see lots of these in my wardrobe as it is quite a distinctive silhouette, but if I can come up with enough variation, then quite possibly. Maybe a short sleeved or sleeveless version next time?
Gorgeous, indeed a perfect spring blouse!
ReplyDeleteAlison
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I'm so glad you finished it :) it looks lovely - I really like the less full sleeves. It looks beautifully finished inside too. Really lovely!
ReplyDeleteLovely! That fabric is perfect for spring and I really like how you changed the sleeves.
ReplyDeleteHelen, it is lovely! I love the fabric and the reduced sleeves look great.
ReplyDeleteIt's SO perfect for spring! And I much prefer the narrower sleeves too. Well done!
ReplyDeleteOooo - this is really nice! So spring-like and feminine! Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteReally nice Helen. The Mathilde is next on my sew list!
ReplyDeleteReally gorgeous, well worth persevering. A very happy blouse, like you said, perfect for spring. And the insides are great too.
ReplyDeleteSo pretty! Glad you stayed with it :)
ReplyDeleteCan I ask how you took the volume out of the sleeves? I am brand new to sewing and a little nervous about pattern adjustment! My first mathilde did feel a bit pouffey in the sleeve department! Xxx
ReplyDeleteCan I ask how you took the volume out of the sleeves? I am brand new to sewing and a little nervous about pattern adjustment! My first mathilde did feel a bit pouffey in the sleeve department! Xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Fran! Sure, although I'm not sure how easy this is to describe without photos.
DeleteI took the sleeve pattern piece and folded it down the centre along the length of the sleeve, matching the edges (the edges that would go to make the seam). Then unfold. As I wanted to remove 6", at the cuff end of the sleeve, I measured 3" from the crease on each side (thus, 6" in total). I then drew a line from the 3" mark diagonally up to meet the crease line at the sleeve head - remember this is a diagonal line as you want to keep the sleeve head exactly as is. Do the same on the other side of the crease. The triangle in the middle is now the bit you need to remove. I just folded the pattern piece in case I wanted to make it fuller in future, but it would be simpler to just cut this out and then tape the 2 remaining outside pieces together.
Does this make sense? If not, give me a shout and I'll do a post on it with photos. Hope this helps!?