Chemisier B by Tonje Thorensen

This is another stash busting project. I had some black and white printed cotton and an inexplicable need to mix my French language lessons with my sewing. Hence, I give you "Chemisier B" by Tonje Thorensen or rather as she describes it "Chemisier à col rond et manches à revers". (Blouse with round collar and reversed sleeves)

Thoresen, Tonje, and Catherine Guidicelli. Couture Vintage. Paris: Hachette Pratique, 2013. Print.

This pattern book, as with all my French pattern books and magazines, assumes you know your way around the haberdashery store, the sewing room and your fitting skills. There are no lengthy explanations or hand holding with these patterns. They are guide lines only. Your success is up to you skill depth. Now, having said this, I did have very good success with this pattern book and I'd be willing to try again.

This is a simple cotton blouse with a self-facing button front. It has set in cap sleeves with a reversed cuff finish. The collar is banded with a simple rounded collar. The bodice is fitted with a shoulder dart and waistline tucks in the front and back. Sizes in this pattern book range from EU 36 to EU 44. All sizes are shown on the pattern sheet for each pattern piece so that grading between sizes would be very easy to do. I traced the EU 44 size just as the book drafted it, before doing a pattern pin fitting. I decided to go ahead with the 44 without changing the pattern.

There were two things that I had to very aware of with this pattern. The seam allowances had to be added to the pattern and they were not the same width everywhere. I had to toss out the 5/8'' everywhere rule and remember the different widths for different purposes system.  I can see getting very used to this and automatically knowing where to cut larger allowances for better fitting. The second smaller problem was that the front and back of the sleeves and cuffs were very, very similar in shape. Careful marking and careful organization will save mix ups in this area.

Here's the finished garment on me. This photo was taken between gusts of freezing rain. I was not a happy camper for most of the March in terms of the weather.

Garment Finish: The fabric was a printed cotton and I serge finished the seam allowances and hem edges. I also used an iron-on interfacing. The cotton pressed easily and gave the blouse a crisp finish. Grade: A-

Fit: Good fit and easy adjustment with the waistline tucks. Grade: A

Material Choice: Printed cotton is always a winner for ease of construction. Grade: A

Style and Wearability: I love the print, but I'm not so crazy about the sleeves. Grade: B

Overall: A-

Next time, I think I'll try the Blouse à col Cravate in a silk print.