Gemma’s Marnie Blouse
The delicate drape of the viscose crepe in March’s Classic Box made the perfect Tilly and the Buttons Marnie blouse.
I am very much ready for spring, desperately in need of warmer weather and tropical vibes, but alas, the British climate has other ideas and continues to give us cold and grey, so for now I will have to reside myself with the gorgeously tropical fabric in this month’s box! A lovely light and drapey fabric, it has me already thinking of cocktails and sunshine, and I wanted to make something fabulous that will have me ready when spring is finally upon us!
My first thought was to create a floaty summer dress, but as I have the white version of this fabric I was worried it might be slightly sheer, so I decided on a blouse. I needed something that would show off the drape, and settled on the Tilly and the Buttons Marnie Blouse. I have yet to make the top version of this pattern, and although I have seen lots of cotton made ones, I hadn’t come across many in more floaty fabrics, but it fit the vibe perfectly.
If you haven’t seen the latest pattern from the team at TATB, it is truly a work of art design wise, as it has so many individual features that you can pick and choose from when it comes to making your garment. With the options of tucks, shoulder ruffles and collar to name a few, the different looks you can achieve are wonderful. I chose to keep it slightly simple – I wanted to add the shoulder ruffles as I think these look great, but kept the bodice and sleeves plain, so that you can see as much of the pattern on the fabric as possible. The Marnie also has a keyhole back opening, which not only is ideal for ease but another great looking design feature.
Because this fabric is so light and drapey, it does move quite a bit and needed lots of weights when I was cutting out my pieces. It also frays, so finishing your seams is a must (or perhaps an excuse to give French seams a go?) I found making my stitch length slightly shorter really helped when sewing, and pressing the seams is also a must.
The Marnie isn’t a straightforward sew – the bodice is panelled and there is more construction than a standard blouse, so this is a great pattern if you are looking for something a bit meatier to get your teeth into. I loved taking my time with this and focusing on each different part, and can imagine if I had added the pin tucks as well it would have been even more intriguing. The fabric doesn’t unpick too well, so make sure you are fully focused when sewing!
I think this fabric has worked perfectly with this pattern. I have created a staple blouse that will get so much wear, and it shows off the fabric wonderfully. It is so light and drapey, and very comfortable. My only issue is that the arms seem quite long on me, with them extending well past my fingers! So I will definitely shorten the arms on any future ones I make, and with this one I think I will take in the elastic on the wrists considerably, so that it holds up better. But other than that a very successful make, and a gorgeous fabric that I can’t wait to see what everyone uses it for!