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 :)

Navy Blue Burda 6202

My third Burda 6202 blouse this year! I believe this is the sixth short-sleeve version I’ve made for myself from this favorite pattern.

Apart from the fact that I love the fit - and I have tuned the pattern to my preferences to perfection - it's a tiny blouse that requires very little fabric. I often manage to squeeze it out of remnants as a side project.

Thus, out of the 1.8 m navy blue knit fabric, that I bought in July, I made one pair of calf-length joggers, one long sleeve hooded top, this short sleeved Burda 6202 T-shirt and I even managed to combine the leftovers with other knit fabric scraps to make three pairs of lingerie for myself.  I love using my fabric to the last centimeter, especially when it’s this good! This navy blue is not only a perfect match for my complexion, but it’s divinely soft against the skin—a total win-win.

Pattern: Burda 6202 from Burda Catalogue 1 / 2020

Size: 34, shortened

Fabric: cotton knit

Time to make: 2 days

I especially love the puff-sleeve detail on this blouse; it's a small feature with a great effect.

We are still enjoying beautiful, sunny weather here. It’s hard to believe I’m taking photos of a short-sleeved blouse just a few days before Christmas!

Navyblue Lotte Blouse

Finally a full-grown sewing project :) 

I've been sewing a little, mostly lingerie, repairs and refashions, but this is my first true sewing make since the pink dress I finished in September.

The pattern is another Sinclair Lotte blouse. This is my fourth make out of this pattern and my third in the form of a blouse, although I bough it, because I liked the idea of a hoodie with thumb-hole cuffs. However, my only attempt at a hoodie out of sweater fleece was not very satisfying - I find it too tight as a hoodie and I usually wear it as a warmer blouse during hikes. 

In February I made a version of the pattern in solid color, with a hood and thumb-cuffs and it's been one of my most worn blouses this year - I prefer it for hikes and I love to wear it at home too. The idea to make another one of these came to me spontaneously last week, when I reached again for my favourite blouse and found out, that it was still in the laundry basket - obviously I urgently needed another one :)

Pattern: Sinclair Lotte Hoodie

Size: Petite (152-160 cm) XS (US 2)

Fabric: cotton knit

Time to make: 2 days

The making of the blouse went like a breeze, as I already had a modified version of the front for a solid color and I also had my notes of desirable corrections, based on the previous makes of the pattern. This time I lowered the neckline at the front by 1.5 cm, thus opening the shawl part of the hood and reducing the overlap a little - I find it a bit more comfortable like that. I also returned the original length of the sleeves, as I found, that I feel more unconstrained in my hand movements, when wearing a sweater over the hooded blouse with the thumb-hole cuffs on, if the sleeve is longer. 

The construction of the thumb-hole cuffs is very clever and I consider the pattern worth purchasing even if only for the cuffs :)

My hands and head are my most cold-sensitive zones, so I find blouses with built-in gloves and hat a god-sent :)

Lately I love-love-love wearing sweaters with shirts or hoodies underneath. Here is a combination of the new blouse with my navy Starry Night sweater - a match made in heaven :)

Green Burda 6202 Blouse

As I mentioned in a previous posting, Burda 6202 is one of my favourite T-shirt patterns. I like its fitted design, open neckline and feminine puffed short sleeves. The purple blouse, which I made at the end of February, has been one of my go-to blouses for hikes. I wanted one more of these, but out of cotton-viscose fabric, for everyday walks. 

Teal is one of my most favourite colors, so when I saw the teal viscose fabric with lycra at the shop, I had to have it. I bought enough for two blouses and I made an identical one for Gaby, as I know that she loves teal too.

Pattern: Burda 6202 from Burda Catalogue 1 / 2020

Size: 34, shortened

Fabric: cotton-viscose with lycra

Time to make: 2 days

For the new teal blouses I reverted to the 34 size and I also lowered the neckline back to the original line at the front, but lifted the neckline at the back by 2 cm. For my blouse I also graded the front and the back from the waist to the hem to 36 size, as I don't like my blouses hugging me too tight at the hip.

The fabric is divinely soft and comfortable to wear, the fit is as I wanted it and I believe this little blouse is going to be one of my favourites this spring and summer.

Purple Burda 6202 Blouse

There are patterns that I love so much, that I keep returning to them over and over again. Burda 6202 blouse is one of those patterns - to my utter surprise this is the eighth (for Gaby and myself combined, I went back and counted them) and my fourth with short sleeves and let me tell you - I plan at least two more this year. 

The pattern is a quick sew, flattering and feminine and very easy to wear. The fabric I used for this blouse is a remnant of the long-sleeve Lotte I made last month - it does really have modest fabric requirements and as the pattern is raglan, it would also work well with color blocking, I imagine.

I made my two first short-sleeve versions with the elastic, sewn to the sleeve, as is according to the instructions, but for my third version I came up with a modification, which allows for the elastic to be inserted in the hem and this made the blouses even better and more comfy.

Pattern: Burda 6202 from Burda Catalogue 1 / 2020

Size: 36, shortened

Fabric: cotton fabric

Time to make: 2 days

I usually make this shirt in the smallest size 34, but this time I decided to make it a bit looser and cut into the larger 36 size. However, I think I prefer the more fitted look and my next make will be back to the 34 size and shorter length. I also plan a little remodelling of the neckline - I want to return to the original line at the front, but lift the back by 2 cm. It is always fun to play with a known pattern and see what little tweaking here and there can do for better fitting.

We took these pictures yesterday during our hike on Lakatnik. I had brought the blouse just for a quick photosession, but it was surprisingly so hot, that my new short-sleeved blouse turned a real blessing. More about Lakatnik soon in my next post :)

Purple Sinclair Lotte Blouse

Sinclair Lotte is a hoodie pattern, which I've once made as a hoodie and already twice as a longsleeve blouse. I like the hoodie, but I find that the fit lacks enough easе for a sweater, designed to be worn over other blouses, although I did cut my size according to the sizing table. 

On the other hand, the fit is just perfect for a blouse and my previous color-block viscose Lotte longsleeve is one of my favourite blouses. I especially appreciate its thumb-hole cuffs - they are perfect for hiking in spring and autumn, when my hands get a bit cold when I'm holding a hiking stick. 

Last year I came to the conclusion, that I needed another hiking staple, both with cuffs and a hood. Initially I planned to add some hood and the cuffs to my basic Burda long-sleeve pattern, but then I decided that it would be an interesting experiment instead to make the Sinclair Lotte, but in solid color.

I had to create the front of the blouse out of the four separate color-block pieces, that the original pattern consists of, but apart from that, I followed the pattern without much modifications, I only shortened the sleeves by 2.5 cm

Pattern: Sinclair Lotte Hoodie

Size: Petite (152-160 cm) XS (US 2)

Fabric: stable cotton knit

Time to make: 5 days

The snow from the previous week has almost melted and I hope spring will be here soon,
probably a bit later than last year.

Apart from the hood and the cuffs, the pattern is a simple longsleeve. The hood is very unusual, its two parts completely overlap at the front, covering the neck and creating a polo-shirt effect. When up, the hood reminds me a bit of a headscarf Grace Kelly-style.

The thumb-hole cuffs are very cleverly designed and super-comfy and they can also be "unhooked" from the thumb and folded back, to turn into normal cuffs.

The hood is deep enough, but not too big and it doesn't drag down, as some hoods tend to do.

I plan to test the blouse on our next hike and if it proves to be comfortable, there might be more of these.

Pink Sweater with Half-Zipper

 I am finally ready with my third project of the Make Nine plans for the 2025 - the pink sweater.

Last year I made a pink hoodie for Gaby out of a big piece of sweatshirt fabric and I had quite a significant amount of it left - and I hate wasting fabric. My plan for it was to make another hoodie for myself, using the same iconic Burda pattern. 

Once I took out the pattern pieces, it became obvious, that if i didn't want colorblocking and insisted on having a solid color sweater out of this piece of fabric, I had to make quite a lot of changes and compromises. I could not have a hood and the cuffs and hem had to be cut out of ribbed fabric. I also had to shorten the sweater a bit and then also narrow it a bit - this was not a big problem for me, as I am petite and the pattern is quite wide. Finally, either the front or the back had to be cut in two separate pieces. I decided to make it a simple sweater with ribbed cuffs and neck, so I cut the front on fold and made the back with a seam. Luckily, I had some ribbed fabric, which was almost perfect match to the main fabric. 

Then, when I was almost ready with the sweater and was debating with myself whether to add the kangaroo pocket or not, I googled cropped sweaters and came upon plenty with half-zippers. At this point I had only cuts of fabric left, but the idea of adding a collar and half-zipper kept gnawing at me. I abandoned the project for a while and let it stew.

Meanwhile I bought three more or less suitable zippers, watched probably a dozen of videos on sweaters with half-zippers and in the end constructed my own collar and lining. I was able to cut four pieces of the collar and two triangular shaped pieces of lining for the zipper out of the fabric remnants. Thus the inside of the zipper and the collar came out very neat. I am really pleased with the result and plan to make more half-zipper sweaters in the future, as I quite like the style.

Pattern: Hoodie 102 Burdastyle 03/2022 plus elements of Burdastyle 113 09/2020

Fabric: sweatshirt knit

Size: 36, - 6 in width, -3 cm in length

Time to make: one month

The collar can be worn turned, opened or fully closed, but I think I like it best half open and up. I made the collar curved, wider at the base than at the top, using the collar from Burda 113 09/2020 as a model. However, most of the video tutorials I watched used simple rectangular collars, so next time I make this type of zipper, I might try it that way, to test the difference.

The kangaroo pocket is also from the Burda 113 09/2020 hoodie, which I've already made twice. However, because my sweater is cropped, I had serious doubts about adding it, as in its full size it went almost up to my bust. In the end I decided to cut off 5 cm from its height and add it anyway and I am pretty pleased that I did it, as it brings the ribbed cuffs and the body together and adds some interest and sports vibe, which I like.

Despite all the compromises I had to make, I am really pleased with how this sweater turned out and I expect to wear it a lot, especially with ashes of roses being one of my favourite colors ever since I read Thorn Birds at the age of 14 :)

We took these pictures today in the yard of the local monastery - yes, we have a small monastery in the area. Our residential quarter was once a village right at the outskirts of the capital, with its own church, school, market place, community center, a monastery and even its own graveyard. Most of the houses are long gone, replaced by apartment buildings, but the focal points of communal life are still preserved, snuggled between the tall buildings. In some respects, despite the wide boulevards and subway station, it still has the vibe of living in a village and we love that.