Sewing instructions for the Meret blouse

March 9, 2018

Short summer blouses like the pattern for the Meret blouse exhibit a very youthful and playful style. The round neckline, which sits relatively close to the neck, opens with a small slit with a button and eyelet at the center back. The sleeves are narrow up to the attached ruffle, whose "heads" point outwards, thus drawing attention to the sleeves. Not everyone likes blouses that end at the waist, but from a fashion perspective, these shapes are unavoidable.

In this example, the short summer blouse Meret was sewn from a fine lace fabric made of polyamide.

Cutting:

Seam allowances are included - 1cm wide or as marked!

Cut the pattern pieces out of fabric and transfer the notches from the pattern. The colored clips in the pictures, in addition to the description, show you where to sew a seam.

1x front part in the break
1x back part in the fracture
1x upper sleeve opposite
2x lower sleeve (ruffle)
1x strip for the neck hole
1x strip for the back slit
1x small piece for the eyelet
1 button

Sewing instructions:

Seam allowances are included - 1cm wide or as marked!

Starting at size 42, the pattern includes a bust dart. Since this blouse was sewn in size 36, the dart is shown on a different fabric. The principle is exactly the same. Use a trick marker that disappears with heat (ironing) and trace the dart onto the wrong side of the fabric on both sides of the front piece.

To make this easier for you to see, I've drawn red lines on the image. Mark the tip of the dart with a pin.

Now fold the fabric back below the line so that the lines line up exactly. This is also indicated by a red line. Pin the dart securely and sew it exactly on the line. Start at the side seam and use a very small stitch towards the end of the point so you don't have to tack the seam.

When you later sew the side seams of the front and back pieces together, make sure that the dart is facing upwards and does not slip.

Lay the back piece out in front of you. The slit you drew using the pattern is located at the top. Now, trim this with bias binding.

To do this, place the bias tape, right side facing the wrong side of the back piece, around the slit. Pin it firmly in place and sew it on with a very small seam allowance. Then fold the bias tape in up to the seam...

...and then fold it over the seam above it so that it disappears completely into the strip. The tip of the slit is sewn as a small pleat from the wrong side of the fabric.

This will ensure a neat finish. Place the front piece, right sides together, on the back piece and close both the shoulder seams...

… as well as the side seams.

Next, prepare the strip for the neckline by folding the two short ends inward by the seam allowance. Then fold the strip in half, wrong sides together, and pin it in place. Ironing may also be helpful, depending on the fabric.

Now pin the strip, right sides together, to the neckline and sew this seam. Then trim the seam allowance in the curve and clip it to ensure the curve lies neatly. Fold the seam inward and...

...fold the strip over the seam and stitch it in place, leaving a gap of 0.7 cm. Before sewing, attach the small fabric eyelet to the right side.

By folding in the small edges, they are now neatly sewn at the slit, eliminating any raw edges. You can sew a small button to the left side of the slit either now or at the very end. Now it's time for the sleeves. Place each of the four sleeve pieces right sides together and close all side seams.

Hem the ruffle (lower sleeve part) by folding the hem inward twice, 1 cm at a time, and stitching it in place. Press the top edge of the ruffle inward using the notch. Then, gather the top edge at 1 cm intervals using the longest stitch length.

Pull the threads until they fit into the upper sleeve. Distribute the gathers evenly. Here you can clearly see that you have enough fabric left over to the left of the ruffle head that you only sew this, but not the ruffle head itself, to the upper sleeve.

Now place the ruffle into the sleeve so that the seam allowance with the ruffle head is sewn to the bottom edge of the upper sleeve, right sides together. Repeat these steps for the other sleeve. Then, place the sleeve, right sides together, into the armhole so that the sleeve seam meets the side seam of the blouse and the center of the sleeve meets the shoulder seam. Close the seam.