Still sewing with a plan

I’m making Vogue 9299, a blouse from their Easy Options range. This one really lives up to the name: two significantly different sleeve options, two collars, and two lengths; one with a straight hem and one with a curved one. There’s also a cuff variation on the puffy sleeve option.

Vogue 9299 envelope cover art, somethingdelightful.com

I’m making this as part of my attempt at sewing a wardrobe. It’s going to be in black cotton poplin so should go very well with the black pleated culottes and black jeans I’ve already made. It might also work with the silver drawstring waist trousers and the planned lantern trousers, but we’ll see.

I had to adjust the pattern quite a lot. I bought my fabric online a while ago, and the website said it was 150cm wide so I bought three metres to do the view with the long body, the shirt collar, and the puffy sleeves with cuffs. I checked the length when it arrived, but didn’t think to check the width. And when I came to use it, it turned out to be 115cm. No way was the view of the pattern I wanted fitting into that, especially as I always need to lengthen tops and sleeves. And I really wanted the curved hem version, but it was more the sash and the shape of the hem I liked than the extra long body length. I compromised by tracing that view with my usual 5cm extra length addition, which gets added between the bust and waist, and then taking 20cm length out below the waist. After that I was just able to squeeze all the pieces out of the cut I had. It helped that it was a generous three metres. I even had room to add a hidden button placket. And it’s satisfying to only have little scraps left over. I couldn’t even get a face mask out of what’s left.

Being lazy, I googled how to draft the hidden placket rather than trying to work it out for myself, and came across a tutorial from Threads. It has a nice little touch where you sew the under layers together by machine between the buttonholes. It doesn’t show on the outside but keeps everything sitting really flat. Definitely using that one again.

I’m getting on with sewing it together very slowly. I’m doing it in the evenings and really struggling to see what I’m doing on the black fabric. I need better light bulbs for the sewing room!

15 thoughts on “Still sewing with a plan”

  1. I bought a string of LED lights from Amazon which you attach to the sewing machine which have solved that problem for me.

      1. I have seen ads for new sewing machines with led lights too, so we might all be able to replace our machine bulbs with much stronger ones, as soon as we can find them. A whole generation of people losing their grip on black at night might be saved 😉.
        Love how your vague plan is turning out. Not too rigid, but true to yourself, that’s a great way to go..

  3. A daylight lamp on my sewing table is a lifesaver! Even on a dull day, it helps to see exactly what I’m doing on darker fabrics.

    2. I have a daylight lamp beside my sewing machine and it helps but I still want those little lights that attach to the machine. Trying to sew black at night or even on a dull, dark day is very problematic. Your new shirt will be spectacular.

  4. Love that concealed placket Catherine, this shirt will be lovely. Be careful with the LED on your machine. I had my machine lightbulb changed to LED and it’s so bright I get dazzled because the ambient light in the room is less bright. I was given a photographers light and I point it to the ceiling so it throws off the ceiling in a less shadowy way. It’s great, works perfectly, but I still can’t sew black at night!!!

  5. Ooo, I so need some LED lights on my sewing machine – I was squinting my eyes to see my top-stitching today! Love your hidden placket, looks fantastic. Have to admit, the pattern didn’t really appeal to me when I saw it, it’s probably those stripes modelled on the envelope. I imagine it’s going to look a whole lot better in the black…but then I am partial to black clothing.

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