In my last post I mentioned that one reason I didn’t mind sewing a Phoenix Blouse for Aria was that I was sewing 2 at a time. And of course the other one was for me! Ever since I sewed up my wearable muslin Phoenix Blouse, I’ve been wanting more.
Having sewed a muslin, I knew there were just three changes I wanted to make. Two I’ll definitely make again, and the other I won’t!
The first thing I wanted to do was to try the Phoenix Blouse with the flutter sleeves from the Amalfi Dress, just like on Aria’s blouse. It is such a feminine touch! And I absolutely adore wearing these sleeves. They swoop and swish and flow and twirl with movement all their own! I’ll definitely be adding these sleeves to a Phoenix Blouse again.
The 2nd change I make was to eliminate the slit in the front yoke. I think I just wanted to see if it would still slip over my head without the slit. It does, obviously. It also raises the neckline a little for modesty reasons (think bending over and chasing little kids all day!) Also, this fabric is quite busy, so I thought eliminating the slit would help simplify the blouse a little.
While I love this blouse due to the sleeves and the fabric, I probably won’t eliminate the slit again. It just seems to take away from the style lines somewhat.
The final change was to take in the side seams a little bit. I did this for Aria on her blouse, and it creates such a nice silhouette while still staying true to the boho feel of the blouse. It’s still very loose and comfortable to wear, but has a bit of shaping. This is a change I’ll be making again in the future.
This fabric is a poly crepe I got from Indiesew. It’s currently sold out, but they carry very, very nice quality fabric, so I always keep an eye on what they have in stock. If you’re specifically looking for poly crepe, here is a pretty selection.
Poly crepe is worth looking into, it’s inexpensive, lightweight, and oh the drape! Poly crepe has a slight pebbled texture to it. The one I got from Indiesew is slightly shiny on one side. It washes well, and is easy to iron. As the name suggests, it is polyester, so does not breathe as well as natural fibers.
I have been wearing this Phoenix Blouse with both this black skirt and this brown one. What color would you wear on bottom with this blouse? And also, have I convinced you it’s the Summer of the Phoenix Blouse yet? (If not, stay tuned…)
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Skirt Fixation 