08 Jul The Patent Blouse Sewing Pattern
Posted at 17:31h
in Pattern Puzzle Sewing Patterns, Pattern Puzzles, Sewing patterns, Stretch Patterns, Vintage Patterns
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This unusual sewing pattern has been featured on my blog for a very long time. As early as December, 2013. Right from the very beginning it’s been a favourite. I’ve made myself at least eight of these tops in a great variety of fabrics: merino/lycra, viscose/elastane, cotton/elastane and rayon/elastane. It’s really important to understand that all fabrics for my samples are two-way stretch jersey (four-way in the US) with some elastane content (lycra/spandex). My favourites are the merino/elastane, with a soft, draped handle in both red and black. You can get yourself a copy of this amazing sewing pattern, here on my website: The Patent Blouse Sizes XS-XXL.
It all started with some research into one-piece patterns, from the early 20th century, located with the US Patent office. It seems there was a push from clothing manufacturers, to develop easy to construct designs and patterns, to bring down the costs of production. The sample featured above, is made from a cotton/elastane knit with two-way stretch (four-way stretch in the US).
My first ever sample was in a sporty stripe, rayon jersey, where I took the opportunity to finesse the fitting to the back of the pattern.
And finally the next sample, in red merino jersey, showing the improvement in the fit of the back of the blouse.
All of these improvements and fittings are included in the digital sewing pattern that’s now available on the website, in Sizes XS-XXL (equal to Sizes 6-22 in my Size Chart). I’ve made up some lay-plans that help you work out the different grain to use for the large range of sizes. Both of these are included in the print of The Patent Blouse, along with a Fabric Usage chart. The example below is for Sizes XS-L, with the cloth folded for cutting, with the straight grain running down the fold of the centre back seam. You’ll need .7 m of two-way stretch knit for Sizes XS-L.
For sizes XL-XXL, you’ll need more fabric as you’ll be cutting your pattern on the other grain line. The patterns for the larger sizes are a little too wide for cutting on folded fabric, at 150cm wide. Sometimes you can buy knit fabrics at wider widths, but most of the time they come at 150cm wide. In the example below, I have a single lay of the cloth and it demonstrates that, although you have to buy twice as much cloth, you will get two Patent Blouses out of your fabric. To cut Sizes XL-XXL, you’ll need to buy 1.4m of two-way stretch knit fabric.
If you have any questions about this pattern or the sewing process, don’t hesitate to use the comments section below. 🙂
If you’d like to share your photos of this blouse you can join my Facebook group, or Instagram. To be sure I see the posts, please use my handle @studiofaro or the hashtag #PatentBlouse.
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