The Sewjo Returns

Steph's Laurel

This week my sewing mojo (Sewjo) returned. I completed the Laurel blouse I'd been slowly sewing for a friend (it looks exactly like my Rayon Laurel), and even managed to make another Laurel for myself.



The Laurel I made for myself had also been a long time coming. The fabric and pattern were sitting on my sewing table for at least the past month. It all started when I found a cute top at Anthropologie, tried it on and loved it, but looked at the price tag & fabric content and about fainted. Then I decided to make my own version.


A slightly more accurate representation of the fabric coloring can be seen here.

Lumine Dot Blouse from Anthropologie

The inspiration blouse costs over a hundred dollars, is imported, and is made of soft cream colored rayon embroidered with neon orange and pink polka dots. It has a 1/3 zip down the back, which seems a little trendy and unnecessary to me. The sleeves have a slight puff at the cap, which I was excited about because I'm horrible at easing/setting in regular sleeves and the puff/gathering gives you a little wiggle room.

For my version, I chose a Marc Jacobs cotton silk from Mood that I'd spied when Tom and I visited the LA store and I was too overwhelmed to buy anything. Thank goodness I was able to find it online.  It's very lightweight and has a bit of a sheen to it. The spotted pattern is a dark dot with a brighter outline around it, which makes for a pinky/red look. Gertie has some in the orange color scheme in her Etsy shop.

I ended up making about 17 miles of bias binding, which sounds tedious but always ends up being something I rather enjoy making. I used the binding to finish the neckline, sleeve openings, and as a facing on the shirt hem. I also decided to add a little bias tape bow at the back of the neckline, for what I thought added a '60s vibe.

My favorite part of this project, though, is how the sleeves turned out. I'd planned to give them a little poof at the top, so I wouldn't have to struggle with setting in the sleeves, but I didn't end up needing to! For once in my life I was actually, for some reason, able to insert the sleeves normally with minimal strain or effort on my part. Well, apart from the fluke when I put the first sleeve in inside-out.

Ahh, what a glorious sleeve! I'll be sure to post more photos, including some of me wearing the finished top, soon. Thanks for sticking around while I experienced my mental vacation/sewing rut this month. I'm glad to be back now!

Oh, and if you ever find yourself in a similar rut, may I recommend the Laurel from Colette Patterns? It's not complicated, but just involved enough to make ya feel accomplished upon completing it. :)