It was the turn of the lilac shirt...now what on earth to do??!! Of all the ones I did before I liked the cap type sleeves best as they give maximum freedom of movement and look pretty too. See number 1, number 2, number 3 and number 4.
So rather than another frill, i went for pleats. This was made in the same way as the double frill piece of number 3. I removed the sleeves and cut from each one a piece 3"x15" and piece 2"x12". (These could both be 15" in length but this shirt's original sleeves didn't have enough material.) The pieces are then hemmed along one long edge with a rolled seam. Then take a short piece and lay it on a longer piece and secure with a line of stitches through both pieces, along the long rough edge. Then make your pleats (in whichever direction you like), ironing as you go, and pin in place before sewing another line of stitches through both layers, in the same place as the last line. You should have something like the picture below:
Then it's just a matter of sewing in place and finishing the rest of the armhole with a rolled seam
Again, i also took the shirt in a little at the sides to make it more fitted.
And here she is all dressed up and ready for the boardroom!
I also do a row of top-stitches about 0.5cm in from the edge of the armhole, just to ensure that the inner rough seams of the cap sleeve lie flat and don't peek out! It's also worth serging these if you have an overlocker....i'm just loving the way i'm mixing UK/US terminology with the inches vs centimetres and sergers vs overlockers...but it makes sense in my head so we'll not worry!
So rather than another frill, i went for pleats. This was made in the same way as the double frill piece of number 3. I removed the sleeves and cut from each one a piece 3"x15" and piece 2"x12". (These could both be 15" in length but this shirt's original sleeves didn't have enough material.) The pieces are then hemmed along one long edge with a rolled seam. Then take a short piece and lay it on a longer piece and secure with a line of stitches through both pieces, along the long rough edge. Then make your pleats (in whichever direction you like), ironing as you go, and pin in place before sewing another line of stitches through both layers, in the same place as the last line. You should have something like the picture below:
Then it's just a matter of sewing in place and finishing the rest of the armhole with a rolled seam
Again, i also took the shirt in a little at the sides to make it more fitted.
And here she is all dressed up and ready for the boardroom!
I also do a row of top-stitches about 0.5cm in from the edge of the armhole, just to ensure that the inner rough seams of the cap sleeve lie flat and don't peek out! It's also worth serging these if you have an overlocker....i'm just loving the way i'm mixing UK/US terminology with the inches vs centimetres and sergers vs overlockers...but it makes sense in my head so we'll not worry!
Reeaally pretty wooners, I love the fact that you have now 5 ways to feminise the workplace, whilst still looking perfectly professional in shirt and tie.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you want to be extra normal - a blazer will hide all the flounce!
Not that you should hide all that work.
As usual I grasp none of the technical lingo but the finished look is fab!
love love
x
I love the colour of this blouse and the pleats are my favourite so far!! You're a wonder! Keep it up!
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