A new wardrobe staple - the Susie blouse

The Susie blouse pattern was released as a pdf pattern only last month by Sew Over It. Having had success with the Joan Dress and the Ultimate Pencil Skirt patterns, I bought it straight away. It's a pretty versatile pattern with three sleeve lengths that can be worn for work or more casual with jeans. As the pattern was on special offer, I treated myself to some lovely cotton lawn from Maud's Fabric Finds to make my first version with. 

The one downside (and I think it's quite a big one) is that it is only sold as a pdf.  I used to buy pdf patterns when I first started sewing to save money, until I realised I would happily pay a few extra pounds to save myself the hassle of printing, cutting and sticking together with sellotape. It took over an hour of my precious and limited sewing time just to get the pattern together. Once I'd finally done this, I was unsure about which sleeve length to make, so I asked Thomas (age 4).  He was very clear that I should make the long sleeved version, so that's what I cut. 

I found the fabric lovely to work with, as I have with other cotton lawns from Maud's. The blouse is a pretty quick project with no fastenings and only darts at the bust. I ended up having to fold and hand stitch the facing together at the v-neck as it kept poking out, even though I followed instructions. The long sleeved version includes a cuff at the wrist, so involves slightly more sewing than the other versions, but not much. 

When I first tried this on with jeans, I felt like the body was too baggy and was actually unflattering. However, I tried it tucked in to a pencil skirt and loved it. My Mum and Sister have also recently made versions of the Susie blouse, and they said the same. I will definitely be making again, probably as a work wardrobe staple, but I'd try it in the next size down to wear with jeans. 

Here is the finished result:

Agnes x3

I have now returned to work following maternity leave, and have been forced out of my everyday uniform of t-shirts and sweatshirts.  While I can wear jeans to work, I do have to be smarter than for the school run.  Inevitably, smarter tops = more ironing, and we have mountains of ironing every week as it is.  So my quest has been to make some jersey tops that are smart enough, but I can get away without ironing.  My Mum bought the Agnes pattern from Tilly and the Buttons a while ago and has made several versions.  I love how may variations there are to make it quite different depending on fabric, sleeve length and type and plain or ruched front.  Mum made me an Agnes top for my birthday last year, which I loved.  She made it in my usual size, so it was a while before I felt comfortable wearing it, but it has now become a wardrobe staple.

I had several pieces of jersey fabric in my stash which I decided to use for this.  I bought some fabric at the Handmade Fair in September to make a jersey top.  This is a really thick jersey which holds its shape well.  I decided to make the plain front and ruched sleeves version as I thought the fabric would hold the ruching well.  It was lovely to sew with and the instructions were as clear as I've come to expect from Tilly.  I love sewing with jersey as it's so quick with no seams to finish.  I added about 2.5cm to the length as I prefer slightly longer tops with jeans.  I've already worn this one quite a few times (and it looks great without ironing - bonus!):

The next version I made was using some red spotty jersey which I think I bought from Plush Addict in the sale (it's a sign of a serious fabric addiction when you can't even remember where all of it comes from....).  It was much more drapey, and did stretch a bit while sewing, especially around the neckline, despite my best efforts.  I'm quite pleased with the final result, although I think I prefer it in a thicker jersey with less drape:

The final version here is actually the one my Mum made for me.  The type of fabric is really similar to the first one I made, but she made it with plain long sleeves and a ruched front (I had no make up on when the photo was taken, hence me asking Gareth not to include my face!):

Overall, I can't recommend this pattern highly enough - it's quick and straightforward to sew, really wearable and the variations mean you can create really different tops from the same pattern.  I will definitely be making plenty more Agnes tops soon - in fact, I have some pink jersey with black horses printed on it that I may even make an Agnes with this weekend!