Knock Off Ann Taylor Blouse

I finished some top stitching today and hemmed up the bottom edge, which completed the project.  This is my first attempt at a knock off of another designers blouse and I am pleased with how it turned out.  I used my original shirt as a guide in tracing out the size and shape of each piece.  It took a fair amount of tracing paper and patience to do this.  Prior to top stitching, I pressed and starched each seam.  This helped as the cotton/lycra at times wanted to twist into the seam as I stitched close to an edge.

Pattern Design & Recreating A Favorite Blouse

This is a favorite blouse of mine that I picked up from an Ann Taylor store years ago.  One of my goals this year is to learn more about pattern design and refining my skills as a seamstress.  With this in mind, I decided to recreate this blouse.  I would be happy to create a .pdf of the pattern I made for anyone who is interested.  The main difference between the two blouses is the front facing.  The fabric I chose is a cotton/lycra which is similar to the original blouse as seen above.  Once finished, I will give some insite and tips that may help others in doing this too.

I'm beginning to make my plans for some upcoming projects and getting excited about it.  I would like to explore some vintage patterns and found a few that I really like.  I am also interested in making some men's tailored shirts and creating some patterns of my own.  This weekend I am busy working on a home furnishing project for a family member and will continue to think about and plan for my next projects.  Vintage dress or gown is weighing heavily on my mind and won't go away. :)

View F of Simplicity 2936 Finished

Never underestimate the value of a spool of invisible thread... 

The neck ruffle has the two rows of long machine stitches to make the ruffles and I started the rows at 5/8" from the raw edge and 1/4" inside that seam line.  I basted the ruffle on and then attached the facing.  After all was said and done and the facing was sewn in, the 2 rows of ruffle stitching and the basting were showing and not covered by the facing.  Initially I thought I could seam rip these three rows of stitches out since the ruffle was officially sewn into place by the facing.  However after examining the ruffles, had I done this, the ruffle would not have looked as nice.  To solve the problem, I used invisible thread in the top of my machine and top stitched the ruffle to the garment about a 1/4" from the facing.  At this point, I was able to seam rip the three rows of stitching out and save the ruffle as I had originally made it.  I have decided invisible thread is wonderful and probably could be used in many applications to fix a wrong or secure something without worry of your thread showing.