Thursday 14 January 2016

Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse

It's no secret that I have a bit of a thing for pussy bow blouses. I've made three from a Simplicity pattern (herehere and here) and one from a vintage pattern. I love them all and they never disappoint. They do all sport quite large, floppy bows though (with the exception of this one which was toned down for the beach), so I was keen to add one with a long, thin tie to my repertoire. 


Enter the Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse pattern - I can't believe this pattern has escaped my clutches for so long! It has all the features I've been looking for: long, thin ties, long sleeves and easy to wear tucked in or out, hoorah! The first thing I did was to follow the advice of Karen from Did You Make That in this post and measure the sleeve length carefully. The sleeves are designed to pool around the wrist and gather in with a buttoned cuff. The trick is not to have the sleeves too long or you run the risk of looking like a Disney Prince. Being slightly challenged in the arm length department, I obediently measured my arm against the sleeve and shortened it by two inches.

There are no closures on this pattern, so construction of the basic blouse shape was a breeze. It did take me a bit more time to get the two sides of the ties lined up perfectly at the centre front. The sleeves were also quite time consuming as they involved making cuffs and rouleau loops for the button closures.


Size wise I cut a size 10 for the blouse and size 8 sleeves to make them a little more streamlined. Apart from shortening the sleeves I made no other changes to the pattern. I like the fit - it's fitted enough to wear either loose or tucked in with slim trousers or jeans.


Of the two I think I prefer it tucked in
It also looks good with a skirt if you fancy going for a Miss Moneypenny look.


Fabric-wise, the pattern recommends a lightweight fabric with lots of drape, and the one I used - Bamba Viscose in red from Fabric Godmother - was perfectly suited to the job. The viscose (or rayon) has a nice drape without being too slippery. I found it easy to pin and cut out and it sewed up beautifully.


The nice thing about this pattern is that it's relatively easy to make, yet the finished blouse looks very accomplished. Maybe it's the bow?! There's nothing complicated about sewing bows or neck ties - they're just tubes of fabric sewn to the neck seam - but for some reason they always give the impression of being super fancy! My non-sewing friends always compliment me when I'm wearing a bow blouse. A fully lined coat barely registers on their radar, but a bow at the neck? Very impressive! So if you like impressing your friends and strutting around like Dog Toby, this could be the pattern for you! My mum's coming to visit next weekend, so I'll see if the blouse passes the Dog Toby test (explanation found in this post)…

Have a good day! x






44 comments:

  1. This is a lovely blouse, I'm definitely thinking of adding it to my list of patterns to add to my collection.

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    1. I'd highly recommend you do! And thank you! x

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  2. I love this fabric choice Jane, and yes I agree it looks great tucked in :)

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    1. Thank you! The fabric's gorgeous, I also have some in black that I'm planning to make into a shirt dress in the summer. x

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  3. Very eye-caching and lovely blouse! I love the color and fabric so much! Looks gorgeous on you!

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    1. Thanks Lucy, gotta love a denim skirt! x

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  5. It's gorgeous. I could never pull off the full on pussy bow blouse like you do, but I might just manage it with this style. You had me at "no closures"!

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    1. Yep, no closures and a low key pussy bow make this a no brainer of a pattern to sew. It also looks like you've made an effort if you wear it with jeans! x

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  6. The blouse looks fantastic! You've inspired me to have another go at the Simple Sew Lottie blouse - something I quickly gave up on when I started sewing as couldn't get the sizing right (although my guess it was incorrectly printing out the PDF). Love the fabric too!

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    1. I did think of using that pattern too but I wasn't pleased with the fit on one of their other patterns. I know Sew Over it patterns fit me really well so it was an easy decision! Good luck with yours. x

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  7. This is lovely - I really like the look of the blouse pattern (and good idea to size down on the sleeves for a more streamlined look) so I may have to add this to my list of patterns to do! Your fabric choice is gorgeous too :)

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    1. Thanks Sian! The sleeves probably look fine if you have normal sized arms, but mine are titchy so I knew they'd be swamped! x

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  8. That blouse is so totally you, Tobes! The fabric and the style. I especially love it with the skirt. Très, très chic mon amie xxx

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    1. Merci beaucoup mon amie! Look, I can speak French (not)! xx

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  9. Wow. That fabric is lush and the blouse looks amazing on you! <3 <3

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  10. This is lovely! I too love this style of blouse, and I am currently working on the Style #3410 pattern from the 80s. It is very similar to yours. Thanks for the inspiration, I needed this post to get on with it :D

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    1. Ah my pleasure, good luck with your vintage blouse, it sounds fab! x

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  11. Gosh that's lovely, in such a striking fabric it looks fresh and mod and trad all at the same time. Good work!
    We have been rewatching Midsomer Murders, and i the first episode 1997, an old lady of Badger's Drift is wearing a pussy bow blouse and tweed skirt. Clearly the PBB has had a revival since then when it was considered the epitome of old lady unchic! 18 years is a loooong time in fashion.

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    1. Thanks Mrs C! I'm truly honoured to be rocking the same style as an old girl from Midsomer Murders, I LOVE Midsomer Murders! x

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  12. Does look very accomplished indeed! Fab fabric for it.

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    1. Thank you, the fabric definitely helps! x

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  13. Fabulous! The fabric is lovely, and it looks great in all the combinations.

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  14. this is really lovely; the fit is wonderful, and the fabric adds a very nice modern feel to an otherwise vintage look - very nice job :)

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    1. Thanks so much, I like the mix of modern and vintage too! x

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  15. Look great, I have this fabric in the navy colourway and I love it but not known what to do with it. This make is food for thought!

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    1. Oh good, glad it's inspired you! Looking forward to seeing what you make with the navy. x

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  16. LOVELY blouse! Like you, I love the thin bow look as well. And this pattern has also escaped my clutches (but no longer :-) I love your version! xx

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    1. Thanks Debi, this pattern would suit you perfectly! x

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  17. Fantastic blouse. It does look very impressive and polished. You do seem to find the best patterns! Think I might need to give this one a whirl!

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    1. Ooh thanks Christina, 'polished' is a lovely compliment! And you would totally rock a pussy bow blouse! x

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  18. The colour, the style, everything about this blouse really suits you. It looks smart but comfortable too. I have always steered away from pussy bow blouses as I hate to feel trussed up around my neck. I am definitely going to give this one a go though. Having no closures I think this might be a good one for me to try viscose for the first time too.

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    1. I have a bit of a phobia of anything tight around my neck too. My Simplicity bow blouse is the absolute maximum height I can tolerate. The neckline on this one is perfect, I'd definitely recommend giving it a go! x

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  19. You've made me giggle - I remember the 'Dog Toby' analogy from previous posts - and I can reassure you it doesn't apply to this blouse, nor are you looking 'Disney Prince'
    Lovely pattern - I didn't think I was a pussy-bow blouse kinda gal, but this one might just tempt me. Gill x

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    1. Ah excellent, not looking like Dog Toby is exactly what I like to hear, thanks Gill! I can't recommend this pattern highly enough, it's fab! x

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  20. Dear Jane am just waiting for postman to drop the blouse pattern through my letterbox.
    Thanks for tips about the sleeves. I will let you know how I get on.

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