Oakridge in Marsala




 As soon as Sewaholic Patterns Oakridge Blouse was released, I knew it would become part of my Sewaholic pattern collection.  It was released in the Southern Hemisphere summer so I waited for reviews to begin popping up.  To be fair, there really haven't been a lot for this pattern and I have no idea why.  I love the idea of a pussy bow blouse, but anything fussy and flouncy just isn't me, so the pared down tie and figure skimming fit of the Oakridge had my name written all over it.

When Sewaholic had their recent birthday sale, I knew the time was right.  I bought this pattern and a couple of others at a very affordable price in PDF format.




I cut the pattern to size 6 and graded to a size 4 at the hips.  I could have gone down to a size 2 but given the fabric I chose was quite sheer the extra volume would not detract from the shirts appearance.

The fabric I chose is a polyester chiffon from an op shop haul way back here.  The colour very conveniently is Pantone colour of the year for 2015, marsala.  It looks a little redder in the photos here because I have layered it with a bright red tank underneath.




Once again I prepared my flimsy chiffon with a soak in a gelatin bath.  I scaled down the recipe by half.  I used 1.4 tsp gelatin heated and added 1.5 litres of cold water.  This meant I could soak my fabric in a mixing bowl.  I did get some strange looks from my family during the process.  I think they thought I had completely lost it this time!  I then spun the fabric in the washing machine and line dried it in the sun.




The blouse came together quite quickly.  I French seamed all of the seams except the armhole and tie for durability.  This did cause me a little bit of angst when I realised I had stitched one sleeve inside out and I had to unpick two rows of tiny stitching on flimsy fabric but I managed and now you would never know.  Phew...crisis averted!



Once completed I then rewashed the blouse and dried as normal.  I really love everything about this blouse and am glad I waited for just the right project to use this fabric.  There will be another of these but I am not sure which fabric I will choose.  I currently have two contenders.




My one and only complaint is the sleeves are too long.  I had already removed around 5cm before cutting it out but could have removed another two....I know, t-rex arms!


Comments

  1. Great blouse! I love the gelatin thing too, it makes a big difference doesn't it. I chose this pattern as a thank you gift when I hosted a patternreview contest, so I've been watching out for reviews too. Yours looks lovely and the colour is great. Thanks for all the helpful tips.

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  2. It is so beautifully made! I love this blouse. I really need to make it. Your blog posts have such great detail...thank you.

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    1. Thank you! I like to detail the successes and issues I have with my makes both for future reference for myself and to help anyone else making the same pattern. Before I buy a pattern usually I try to research other peoples experiences.

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  3. Very pretty, and that's an impressive rescue. I shudder to think of unpicking french seams on chiffon.

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    1. I really did have to take a deep breath before that exercise and quite impressively not a bad work was uttered!

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  4. Very pretty and a great review of a new pattern. Enjoy stepping out in your fashion forward colours and outfit!

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    1. Thank you! I am not usually quite so quick off the mark with new colours :)

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  5. Gorgeous blouse. I admire your perseverance in unpicking that french seam in chiffon. It must have been very tedious work, but so worth it. Love the pussy bow and the simple design of the blouse. Pretty fabric too.

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    1. Thankfully I found my error during the day. Had it been at night, the result may have been very different!

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  6. Your Oakridge looks fantastic. I'm currently sewing up the Granville, but have got fabric ready for the Oakridge. I love your sheer fabric, it suits this pattern so well.

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    1. Thank you! I have made the Granville as well but this time for my daughter. She was my guinea pig. Unfortunately her Uni studies have made her too busy to model it but hopefully over the next couple of weeks while she is on break I can persuade her to.

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  7. Ok stop it! I don't want to be inspired any more! Seriously though, I love your new blouse.

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