Esther’s Anthea Blouse

This month Esther received the Classic Box and used her lilac viscose to make a beautiful Anna Allen Anthea Blouse.

Spring sewing is in full force and I am totally here for it. Spring has to be my favourite time of the year and I think this box was the best to get me started on making clothes for the warmer months.

I received the Classic box and I instantly knew what I was going to make with the 2.5m of viscose I got. I have been wanting to make the Anthea Blouse from Anna Allen as soon as I saw it. I thought it would be perfect for my changing body shape (I am constantly losing and gaining weight). The blouse is a loose fitting one so I knew that I wouldn’t need to create a toile and make any adjustments.

As usual, I pre washed my fabric and pressed it. I applied some spray starch to the fabric to make a bit more stable which makes it easier to cut and sew. I use spray starch on lightweight fabrics just to make the cutting process easier. This fabric has a decent weight so I didn’t actually need the spray starch but I am all for whatever makes life easier. The fabric was a dream to press. I love viscose so so much and this is no exception.

This is my first Anna Allen pattern, except if you count the half made Persephone pants in my unfinished objects pile. My body measurements put me between the size 12 and 14 but I chose to make the 12 as it is a very loose fitting blouse. In hindsight, I could have gone for the size 10 and it would still fit loose on me. In the future, I will opt for the smaller size. I like that the pattern has buttonhole guides for each size but I found this to be a waste of paper as I never follow the buttonhole guides stipulated by patterns. This blouse was so quick and easy to sew. I was able to make the blouse in one afternoon. The instructions were very clear and it was easy to follow

After sewing the blouse, I tried it on and determined where I wanted my buttons to be. I used the fullest point of my bust as the reference point and used a buttonhole gauge to make the other buttonholes equal distance. One of the best parts of sewing for me is that I can make a garment with buttons without needing safety pins to prevent gaping (large bust problems).

I enjoyed making this blouse and will definitely be remaking it. I look forward to wearing this blouse as it gets warmer.