Sutton Blouse

When you start sewing you quickly realize there is a huge community of sewers you didn't know existed. I had no idea so many people sewed/quilted/knitted. And the people are young and fashionable. They make trendy clothes that look store bought. I suppose I had this silly image in my head that sewers were grandmother's making costumes for their grand kids.

Similarly, I had no idea the running community was so big until I started running. It always blows my mind that so many people forgo their Friday night to get up at 5am on a Saturday to go for a run. While the majority of people are asleep a group of people get up before the sunrises to run in the dark. For fun. They get ready, meet friends, run and have breakfast all before the majority of people are even awake. The world is full of interesting people, doing interesting things that you don't even know about.

Anyway, back to sewing. I had never really read blogs before. I only followed a few, and only if I personally knew the person. I thought it was weird to read about someone else's life. But when you start to research how to sew you are bound to come across many sewing blogs. These blogs are filled with tips, how-to's, free patterns, sew-a-longs and dozens of pictures for us visual leaners. And some of these bloggers have made a career out of sewing and even sell their own patterns. My friend told me a couple months ago that she typically only makes clothes from Indie Patterns because the directions are more detailed and easier to follow. That made a lot of sense to me, because I have a grocery bag that I started last year that I never finished because I got confused. I could never figure out how to attach the bottom of the bag to the sides with out the raw edges showing. The unfinished bag is now crumpled in a ball in a drawer.

Indie Patterns give much more detail on how to sew up the item. The sizing is also much more like your store bought clothing size. And sometimes they have a sew-a-long on the designers blog that really gives you all the tips, fabric options, pictures and everything you need for a successful make. They also come in PDF versions which I love so I don't have to pay for shipping.

I've made two Indie patterns so far (and I've purchased over a dozen that I want to make). While the Scout Tee wasn't great (totally due to my choice of difficult fabric), my second make was the Sutton Blouse by True Bias. I followed along with her sew-a-long and I think it came out pretty well. I used fabric from JoAnn's I already had on hand. I learned how to do an inverted pleat, and did french seams for a pretty inside. I like how the yolk was one piece and I didn't have to attach sleeves (I haven't mastered that yet). The fabric choice, color and shape kind of reminds me of a pair of scrubs. But I think that's just me. Next time I'll make a round neckline and I may go up a size for a more drapey effect. I already have fabric for it (inspiration stolen from a blogger). Another good thing about blogs is the writer typically list what fabrics they used. Since I shop online it's nice to see what the fabric will look like as a finished garment.

The Sutton Blouse was an easy make. I followed the sew-a-long so it took me 5 days to complete. That probably added up to 9 hours total. But I am super slow at sewing, so it probably takes an average sewer 2 hours. I didn't make any modifications to the pattern. The pattern is based on someone that is 5'5", I am 5'1" but I didn't shorten the pattern. I like my shirts longer. This one is definitely on my to make again list.