In my attempt to keep up with recent goals of making things for myself and also using my vintage pattern stash, I chose this 1965 blouse pattern – View 4:
This was my first button backed top pattern. I like the idea, but honestly I’m not sure why this was so popular, as doing it up yourself is a little challenging – and that’s without wearing a girdle as most likely you would be in this era. I cannot imagine having to do up more than 4 buttons this way without a ladies’ maid.
The collar was of course very high and tight, so I lowered it in the front to make it more comfortable. I also took in the side seams a little to give the blouse some shape. It’s actually a pretty boxy design – ok if paired with a nipped waist skirt, but I wanted to be able to wear it untucked as well. The nice thing about making up new garments from vintage patterns is that I don’t feel guilty when making alterations! The nearly finished version of this blouse was relegated to the UFO pile for months awaiting a solution to the excessive ease issue that did not involve completely re-making it. See the ‘before’ pics on the original post here.
In the end, I ended up having to remove the collar tabs and most of the neckline facing. I took about an inch out of the centre front by way of pin tucks, which also help give it a nicer line. I also extended the back shoulder darts down to the waist to help pull it in a bit more. It’s still a little on the boxy side, and if I make it again I’ll be sure to grade the whole thing down from the start. It does improve the look to wear it with a skirt or high waist pants. In the meantime, I’m planning to try out some other quick tops for summer from the vintage pattern stash.
~Heather
