I love the 1970s. I was a teenager then, and a pretty happy one, so these styles make me grin. This pattern reminds me of junior high.
I bought this polka dot fabric to match my eyes and hair, besides, polka dots are cheerful, just right for a wide-collared shirt with turn-back cuffs.
This pattern is a size 16; I normally start with 14. I compared the pattern with a RTW shirt that fits and is comfy. This size 16 pattern wouldn’t need added width in the torso, it was right on!
That doesn’t mean zero changes. I shortened 1″ at the waist, did a 3/8″ high back adjustment. Why didn’t I do my usual swayback correction? Uh, dunno. Should have.
Didn’t think about the shoulder seams, which are about one inch off my shoulder. The stand-up gathered sleeves balance everything out.
The buttonholes are too far from the edge. I’m learning to pay attention to that dimension. The pattern calls for 1″ buttons and the buttonhole markings on the blouse front are 1″ from the fold. Is that a rule? Place your buttonholes the same distance from the edge as the diameter of your buttons? I’ll make a note to practice it on my next projects. But today I used three 5/8″ buttons from my stash, and they would look better closer to the blouse edge.
Doesn’t any of it matter, because I LOVE LOVE LOVE this shirt! It makes me happy.
Pattern: Simplicity 6161 circa 1973, eBay
Cloth: Michael Miller Ta Dot, from M&L Fabrics
Buttons: Stash
Polka dots are always a good idea! This shirt looks great on you.
Thanks! Love me some dots!
Nice blouse!
About button and buttonhole placement: The center front lines of both front pieces should meet, which means that the centers of the buttons, vertical buttonholes and the front ends of horizontal buttonholes should all be place on the center front line. The actual overlap of the fronts is usually based on the kind of garment and the size of button. For a blouse, I use 2 cm as a standard overlap, this works with regular small (about 1.5 cm) buttons but also with slightly bigger ones. For a jacket, the overlap would be 2.5 or 3 cm and 4 for a coat. Not so much because it’s a rule but because that works better with thicker fabrics and larger buttons.
Oh, that’s really helpful. I’ll pay attention on my next blouse.
Thanks!
Barbara