I told you I was in the mood for easy and fun, right? Vogue 8596 (OOP) definitely fits the bill. I have had this pattern in my <extremely extensive> stash for a long while, and have been anxious to try it out. Last night I decided that some clipped dot white cotton I had in my also <extremely extensive> fabric stash would be perfect for this blouse. Sweet! No trip to the fabric store required!
Since I woke up about 2:30 this morning, and finally got out of bed at 3:30, I used my time well and had the blouse cut out and finished (minus hem and ribbon bow) before 7:00. I had plenty o’ fabric so I decided to cut it for the tunic length so I could decide after trying it on where I wanted the hem. Options, I am all about options. After running some errands today and picking up a piece of white ribbon, I popped the blouse on and marked the hem length I wanted. A quick double fold on the ironing board, a row of straight stitching on the machine, and I called it done. Super cute!
I decided the self fabric bow would be a bit too bulky, which is why I used ribbon….but I am not sure this is going to work long term. My LFS does not have the soft silk satin ribbon, so what I ended up with is a little crisper than I want. Also, since I will be removing it and reinserting it with every laundering, I am not sure the ribbon is going to withstand being poked a couple of million times by a safety pin to get re-threaded thru the casing.  I do have a some very soft white batiste that would likely work well as a fabric tie….but as of now I have a feminine and simple spring/summer blouse to wear. If we ever have a day above 60 degrees that is!
Happy sewing!
Maris Olsen