The Mathilde Blouse in Chambray

*Update: Due to popular demand, the sewing pattern for this blouse is now available to buy*

You know the button-back blouse that I keep making? Well, I've finally given it a name! It's now called the Mathilde Blouse. (Long story. Short version here.) This is my latest iteration - this time in Chambray. I'm so glad the pattern works in a casual cotton as well as elegant silk... or cheapo poly, in my case (ssshh!).

Mmm... lovely wooden buttons to go with the Chambray. I love look of the linear tucks juxtaposed with the gentle puff of the sleeves (does that sound really pretentious?!). Plus I sewed French seams on all but the armholes, so the blouse looks as pretty on the inside as it does on the outside.

I think I was about to topple over in this one...

Oh my goodness, I love this blouse so much! I just can't stop making it!

[Soundtrack: 'Matilda' by alt-J]

Red Button-Back Blouse

*Update: Due to popular demand, the sewing pattern for this blouse is now available to buy*

Should I rename this blog Tilly and the Button-Back Blouse? Yes, my friends, I've made another one! This time with two panels of vertical pleating on the bodice. I think this one is my favourite :) Making this pattern up multiple times has allowed me to experiment with the design features - compare it to the first basic boxy blouse, the second with puffed sleeves and Peter Pan collar, and the third with horizontal pleating at the yoke. It has also allowed me to tweak the fitting along the way - I'm much happier with the hem length and cuff ease on this one.

After much introspection, I chose these buttons because I'm a sucker for fabric-covered buttons and because I want to give people a little surprise pop of colour when I turn around. Ooh...! I really love it!

I haven't yet come up with a snazzy name for this pattern, so for now it's just "button-back blouse" (any suggestions?). But you'll be pleased to hear I think I've got the pattern out of my system for a while, so my next sewing project will be something different - promise!

PS. I'm struggling to get on with the new Blogger blog reading list thingey and somewhere along the line I seem to have lost a lot of the blogs I used to follow. I'm thinking of starting again with a new blog reader, maybe Bloglovin'. Do you use it? Or can you recommend another good blog reader? Thank you!

[Soundtrack: 'Cylons in Love' by Bent]

Stitcher's Indecision

One of the wonderful things about making your own clothes is the ability to design bespoke garments exactly how you want them. You choose the colour, the style, the fit, the neckline, the sleeve, the buttons... At times, however, I consider this availability of choice more of a curse than a blessing. It can take me days to decide which buttons to sew onto a blouse. My fabric stash is full of pieces I bought with one project in mind, then changed my mind. Matching the perfect pattern to the perfect fabric is no easy task. It can get a bit ridiculous sometimes.

Apparently people fall into two categories - "satisficers" and "maximisers". If a satisficer wants to buy an apple, they'll go into the nearest shop selling apples, and pick out an apple which is "good enough". A maximiser, on the other hand, will consider all the possible shops they could go into, perhaps do some research on their ethical credentials and pricing, then once there will examine each and every apple on sale to find the one without any bruises and the perfect blend of red and green. Do you recognise one of these behaviour patterns in yourself when you're in a fabric store or rifling through your fabric stash? I definitely fall into the maximiser category. Even though I may end up with the "best" choice, it's no surprise that maximisers tend to be more anxious and stressed than satisficers who keep the task simple and don't worry too much about their decision.

For my Greensleeves Dress, for example, I changed my mind about how to finish it around fifty times. Tab or belt? Cap or elbow length sleeves? Collar or no collar? For the red button-back blouse I'm currently working on, a seemingly simple step like picking out the buttons turned into a soul-searching quest. Are teal buttons too obvious a choice? Would red fabric-covered buttons send out the message that I want to blend in? Am I really a floral button kinda girl? Cripes!



Am I the only one who suffers from Stitcher's Indecision? Do you face the same problem? If so, have you developed any strategies to overcome this blockage? Help me!

[Soundtrack: 'Too Many Fish in the Sea' by The Marvelettes]