The perfect all-seasons work-to-weekend top
As part of my resolution to make a more wearable everyday me-made wardrobe, I started to change my sewing habits and make more separates. When I started sewing, I was almost exclusively making dresses but I realised the few tops I made were getting a lot more wear. As much as I would love wearing dresses everyday, it is just not practical for me. I work in a lab most days and my go-to outfit is jeans and a blouse/button up shirt.
One of the first things I made as part of this change is the Hoya blouse from Deer and Doe. It is a mock-wrap blouse with lapels and comes with short sleeves and 3/4 sleeves options.
I really like the look of the Hoya blouse in sheer fabrics so I decided to make mine in a Lady McElroy floral polyester chiffon I got from Sew Over It a long time ago. It is not available there anymore but I saw it again recently at Minerva Crafts. As for the sleeves, I wanted them long but I am not a fan of plain sleeve hems on blouses — I prefer when there is a cuff, bias binding or elasticated hem. I have made the Sew Over It Pussy Bow blouse before and I really like the finish of the sleeve. The sleeve end is slightly gathered into a narrow cuff and closed by a button and rouleau loop. I decided to go for this finish on my Hoya blouse sleeves.
I wore this blouse at a party organised by Sew Over It and won a prize (a voucher) for my outfit (see Kitty’s story about the party)! I immediately spent it all on fabric!
Now the technical bits! I did not make a toile because it is not very fitted. My bust measurement corresponds to size 36 but because I often have tightness in the back of my blouses, I cut the top of the back bodice in a size 38 and graded down to 36 at the bottom of the armscye. I cut a size 36 for the front bodice. I adjusted the sleeve pattern piece to match my altered bodice: size 36 on the single notch side, graded up to 38 between the sleeve head and double notches and graded down again to 36 between the double notches and underarm seam. I was also worried that the blouse would be too low cut for me after seeing a lot of versions on Instagram so I decided to raise the neckline (the bottom of the V) by 2.5 cm (1 inch) using the very well made tutorial from Deer and Doe. I lenghtened the sleeve by 26 cm (10 inches) and made the end of the sleeve narrower to match that of the Pussy Bow blouse and used the cuff piece from that pattern. Once sewn up, it was very big on me so I took about 2.5 cm in at the centre of each side seam, grading back to the originial seam at the armscye and bottom.
The fabric was a real pain to work with. I would say the Hoya blouse is an intermediate pattern but could be tackled by a confident beginner if made up in cotton. It was my first time working with chiffon and it felt more like an advanced make! The fabric was fraying a lot so I French seamed everything (even the armholes) and made sure I pinked all my edges before each second seam of the French seams to make sure the frayed edges would not come through on the outside. Finally, I added a little catch stitch at the neckline to prevent it from gaping open.
I love the finished result and the French seams mean it is as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside! I think it is a beautiful and well designed pattern (once again Deer and Doe did not disappoint!) and I would simply recommend adjusting your fabric choice to your sewing experience. It is perfect pattern for showing off sheer fabrics because the front bodice is lined but not the rest. The front is not see-through at all and I still feel decent without wearing a cami underneath! I also love the added cuffs.
It is perfect for any season. I wear it layered in winter and it is light enough for summer so it doesn’t spend much time in my wardrobe.
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