Wardrobe by Me Dukke Blouse

I've wanted to make the Wardrobe by Me Dukke blouse since I first saw the pattern last year, but somehow it has taken until now for it to find its way onto my sewing table. Better late than never though!

The Dukke blouse is a relaxed-fit button-up blouse with a flat Peter Pan collar, gently curved hemline and ⅞ or ¾ sleeves (I used the ⅞ option). It's designed to be worn either as a blouse or open layered over another top as an overshirt.

The pattern covers bust measurements from 30" to 50", and hip measurements from 32" to 53.25".

I enjoyed sewing my Dukke blouse. It's a relatively straightforward pattern, and didn't contain any steps that I wasn't already familiar with. 

The instructions were fairly easy to follow, although I found it a bit irritating that they contained quite a few typos and little mistakes (I was using a printed version of the pattern). It has to be said that I spend a significant part of my working hours proofreading, so it's likely that this might be less annoying to other people!

One point that I did notice is that the line drawing for the pattern and the diagram accompanying the instructions is wrong – the instructions tell you to sew the buttonholes on the right of the blouse (as is normal for women's clothing), but the line drawing and diagrams show the buttonholes on the left and the buttons on the right. So trust the instructions and your instincts, not the diagrams!

The fabrics that I used for my Dukke blouse are yarn dyed cottons that I bought from The Fabric Boutique. Both fabrics are the same colourway, but I used the checked version for the front and back and stripes for my sleeves and collar. I love how they look together!

In terms of sizing, I sewed a 10 at the bust blending out to a 12 at the hips. Those are the sizes recommended for my current measurements, and I didn't make any fitting changes – the relaxed fit is fairly forgiving. I think that it worked out well and I'm happy with the fit.

One thing that I did slightly differently was to ignore the buttonhole placement recommended in the pattern. Placing buttons at different points within the check pattern looked a bit odd, so instead I decided to use more buttons than recommended and just place a button in the middle of each lighter square down the centre front.

I'm glad that I finally got around to making a Dukke blouse, and I'm pleased with how this version turned out. I think the pattern would be great as a summer cover-up, so I'm already keeping an eye out for some nice white fabric to make another version – that's always a good verdict on a pattern, isn't it?

Summer Haus Patterns Spero Skirt

It's been a while hasn't it? At the end of each year, things tend to go quiet on my blog because I'm busy making Christmas presents. Now we're into a new year, I'm happy to report that I'm back to making things for myself, starting with the Spero skirt from Summer Haus patterns.

The Spero skirt is designed for knit fabrics, and is a simple high-rise, pull-on skirt. It has a relaxed silhouette and an elastic waistband, and falls to midi length. It has a slit at the centre back, which means that there's plenty of room for movement so you're not restricted when walking.

The pattern covers waist measurements from 23 to 58" and hips from 32 to 67".

Proceeds from the pattern go to supporting causes that are important to the designer. As I'm writing this post, they're going to Community Aid Network MN.

Spero is a fairly simple pattern, with just two pattern pieces – one for the front (cut on the fold), and one for the back (cut as two pieces). The waistband is formed by folding over the top of the skirt.

As a result, it's no surprise that the skirt sews up quickly and effortlessly. The instructions are very good; clear and easy to follow, with just the right level of detail and helpful diagrams.

The sizing is good. The pattern recommends that you choose a size based on your hip measurement, which I did. My hips are 42" so I made a size 10 – my waist is 32.5", so between an 8 and a 10, but it's easy to adjust the waist a bit by cutting the elastic to your preferred length. Personally, I think the skirt has the perfect amount of ease to make it comfy and relaxed for everyday wear, without being baggy or shapeless.

The skirt is drafted for a height of 5'5" (side note: I love that this information is stated clearly in the instructions, often it's the kind of thing you have to hunt down on a designer's website). I'm closer to 5'9" so I lengthened my skirt by 2". 

There is a lengthen/shorten line on the pattern (another plus point; they're often not included), but it's in the lower half of the skirt below the slit. I thought that I'd probably want the extra length above the slit so I drew in my own lengthen line in the top half of the skirt, and I'm glad I did that. The slit (and the skirt as a whole) falls at pretty much the perfect length for me now.

The fabric that I used is a French terry that I snapped up in the Threadquarters closing down sale. This fabric is now out of out of stock, but there are some other beauties still available at the moment if you're after a bargain.

My Spero skirt is so comfy to wear, and I love the colour. All in all, it was a really enjoyable project and I could definitely see myself making another Spero or two in the future!