Say Hello to Summer, 50's style

I'll bet you didn't know that "interesting things are happening to the scoop-necked blouse." But apparently Butterick thinks there are.



Unless they've changed their position some time in the last 50 or so years. Judging by the expression on the model's face, she quite agrees. Just check out that flair, that tiny wasit, that perfectly flipped hair!



Unfortunately, I have neither a tiny waist nor perfectly flipped hair. But I do have the blouse! I recently made up (read, "finished sometime late last night") Butterick 8614, a vintage 50's blouse pattern.



I love the concept of including the sleeve in the bodice, thereby foregoing the often arduous task of setting in sleeves. The pattern illustration gives the appearance of bias tape around the collar -- in actuality, it's topstitching that creates the look. Since I was using a patterned material, I decided to modify the pattern to include the bias tape.



I'd love to try it again in a solid at some point -- the bias tape worked fine, but changing the facing involved some significant alteration. One thing I loved about this pattern was the darts; normally I loathe darts, and do everything in my power to avoid them. But these were the easy-to-match-up, no-finagling-necessary kind of darts. I decided to add a simple sash belt, to create the illusion of a waistline. *wink*



I think this blouse has a bit of an "Anthopologie-esque" look to it, which I like. But best of all, it's light and airy. And in Florida, that's not something to be taken for granted! I'm now officially inspired to delve into my collection of vintage patterns to spruce up my summer wardrobe.