Jennifer Lauren Aisling Blouse

 The Aisling blouse from Jennifer Lauren is a pattern that I've been meaning to sew pretty much since it was released, and definitely since I made and loved its sister pattern - the Asteria dress (my Asteria is here). I was given the final push to make it when the pattern was included with issue 80 of Simply Sewing magazine.

Aisling is a square-necked blouse with a slight A-line shape and blouson style sleeves with an elasticated cuff. It has options of a button front and collar, or you can make a simple cut-on-the-fold blouse as I did.

The pattern has A-D cup sizes, and hip sizes from 35"-53". I made a 14 with the B cup option, as is recommended for my measurements. I know from previous experience that Jennifer Lauren's patterns tend to fit me fairly well, and the Aisling is no exception - I didn't need to make any adjustments. 

To me, the fit seems good - it sits nicely at the shoulders and bust and then flares outwards slightly to be roomy enough to make it really comfortable to wear without feeling at all baggy. 

The instructions are clear and with enough detail to make sewing the blouse a breeze. Actually, in the version that I made there's really nothing complicated about this pattern so it came together fairly quickly. Obviously it would take a bit longer if you were making the buttoned version or using the collar, but even then I'm sure the instructions would mean that you wouldn't have any trouble with it.

For my fabric, I chose a cotton lawn that I got from Emporia Fabric. It has a really pretty floral print and, possibly more importantly, it feels just as good as it looks - it's so soft to wear, and perfect for this pattern I think.

I also added a little bit of hidden positivity in the form of a 'Today is a good day' label from This Is For Makers. I was fairly late to the party when it comes to adding labels to handmade garments, but now I really like sewing one to my projects as a little finishing touch to make them extra special.

I think that my Aisling blouse has turned out really nicely - the square neckline is lovely, and I particularly like the elasticated blouson sleeves. Add in a pretty fabric and you can't go far wrong really, can you?