Blue Rhapsody with Butterflies

Rhapsody is definitely my most beloved blouse pattern and I have used it more than a dozen of times (this is my 15th Rhapsody, to be precise!), making blouses for myself and Gaby, and even one for my mother.

Despite the fact, that I have a number of them, I have a favourite, which I wear in the summer more than any other. It is the one with 3/4 bishop sleeves with ruffles and I've been planning a repeat ever since.

I had a piece of fabric left from the georgette with butterflies - I have a sleeveless dress out of this fabric and a long sleeve shirt with a bow collar (which I have never worn :( ), and I though I could make a sleeveless Rhapsody out of the remnants. 

But then, with a bit of sacrifice on the length - I love the shorter length! - and some shenanigans with the sleeve ruffles - they were cut separately and added to the sleeves, hiding the seam in the elastic, I managed to get a 3/4 sleeved Rhapsody and I am ecstatic! Now I am waiting for the warm weather to add it to my staple spring and summer wardrobe.

Apart from shortening the blouse, I made almost no mods to the pattern in addition to my usual mods. All the seams are french seams, including the seams, attaching the sleeves to the body and I used the burrito method for the yoke. However, I did try something new - I stay-stitched and added fusible to the curved edges - sleeve openings and neckline. The fusible is a step I skipped previously and for good reason - stay-stitching is plenty enough for stabilizing these seams, the fusible made the seams too stiff and I wouldn't recommend it for delicate fabric as this thin georgette.

Pattern: Rhapsody by Love Notions 

Size: XS, modified

Fabric: Polyester Georgette, 1 m

Time to make: 3 days

I finished the blouse more than a month ago, we took the pictures three weeks ago, but I've been so busy with work and prepping the balconies for the spring, that I've had almost no time for blogging. Meanwhile I finished sewing three more items, now I  need to photograph and post about them. Stay tuned :)

Green Rhapsody

About two years ago I was so inspired by a Youtube tutorial pattern for a simple peasant blouse, that I cut into one of my viscose fabrics and tried to make it. The pattern - four rectangles, was too simple to be true and so the blouse was a failure. However, it did teach me a very neat trick for making self-folding tunnels for inserting elastic, which I have used several times afterwards, so it was not a complete waste of time.

As this chartreuse green is very much one of my most favourite colors, I kept the blouse with the intention somehow to repair it. Last week I took it out of its bag, together with the remaining rather large piece of fabric and decided to keep the sleeves and add a Rhapsody blouse to them, cut out of the remaining fabric.

The weather in Sofia last Friday was very inappropriate for a light viscose blouse, but I had the spare time, snow was forecast for the next day, so we took a couple of pictures of my new Rhapsody in the near park. The wide bishop sleeves of the Rhapsody got awfully crinkled in the sleeves of my jacket and the entire photosession is a very unprofessional presentation of the blouse, but I don't think there will be better photos any time soon, so I decided to publish it, despite the sorry state of the sleeves.

Pattern: Rhapsody by Love Notions 

Size: XS, modified

Fabric: viscose

Time to make: 4 days

Now I am waiting for spring to wear my new green blouse.

Rhapsody für Mich

Yep, I made another Rhapsody, my tenth. For myself, finally :)

This time I chose polyester georgette, mostly because I loved the print and I hoped for easier care as far as washing and ironing went. To some disappointment, this fabric, though artificial, still wrinkles, so here go my no ironing hopes :)

Pattern: Rhapsody by Love Notions 

Size: XS, modified

Fabric: Polyester Georgette, 1 m

Time to make: 2 days

My modifications - I used my true and tried shortened pattern - 2 cm above the waist and 2 cm below the waist. I also introduced two more shortenings, which proved unnecessary, when using woven fabric - I shortened the yoke by 2 cm and respectively I narrowed the sleeve by 2 cm. As the blouse is designed to be wide and with quite a lot of positive ease, it is still well fitting, but I found I actually preferred it with the original ease, so next time I'm using woven fabrics, I'll stick to the original lengths and widths.

I made the sleeves 3/4 bishop length, with added 5+2 cm length for a ruffle after the inserted elastic. Next time I think I could make the ruffle 7 cm and add length below the elbow, so some 12 cm additional length would be recommendable for this style of sleeve I have in mind.

As always when I sew these blouses from woven fabrics, all of my seams are narrow french seams and my yoke is double, using the burrito method.

I debated with myself whether to add the ties or not, but in the end I decided ties give this style of blouse a more delicate and feminine look, which I like, so the neck is finished with self-made bias tape ties.

Will there be other Rhapsodies - yes! I'm still finding this pattern my most favourite of all woven fabric spring/summer blouses and I have quite a lot of ideas for other modifications to explore :)

Striped Flared Cotton Blouse with Ties

I have photographed several more items I made for Gaby for her spring/summer wardrobe. Sometimes I take pictures of myself, wearing clothes, sewn for her, as it is always better to see an item on a person, than on a dummy or even worse, on a hanger. However, I was in a hurry to finally send the parcel, so I just took a few photos of each item.

And here's the first of the bunch, a cotton blouse I finished only last night. It is a pattern I've had for some time and I was reminded of it by its reincarnation in the latest Burda 04 / 2022 issue.

This is a raglan blouse, cut on the bias, with very stylish puffed sleeves and elegant ties around the neck. The blouse is wide, but short and would look really striking with a pair of skinny jeans.

The ties can be worn loose or tied in a butterfly and I like it both ways. I am actually so besotted with the pattern that I am definite I am making one for myself as well.

I used some shirting cotton I had in my stash, as it was the only striped cotton fabric I had, but next time i would make it out of viscose or cotton voile, as I think this type of volume requires thinner and more floaty fabric.

 

Pattern: Burda 03 / 2018 #114B

Size: 34

Fabric: cotton shirting

time to make: 2 days