MAKES - ASHLING BLOUSE BY PAPERCUT PATTERNS
A Crisp White Shirt
I love a classic crisp white shirt but as soon as I saw Papercut Patterns release of their Ashling Blouse & Dress, I knew I had to make one. A twist to the classic white shirt, keeps it both modern yet a classic wardrobe stable!
I'm not usually a fan of tiered dresses, or gathers. Mainly because I find it cumbersome to make long stitches to then gather by hand, and I haven't yet mastered the calculations of using a walking foot! But the Ashling Blouse caught my attention as it was a simple adornment to the classic shirt, that creates interesting detail. The sleeves aren't too big to wear on a regular basis, and the frill detail is not too fussy.
Papercut Patterns
Slow Fashion, Shared Passion
I love the ethos of Papercut Patterns, designing with function and sustainability in mind. The packaging is in an open box style which makes it easy to keep and re-use the pattern. And it's all printed on recycled paper!
The booklet that comes with the Papercut Pattern looks packed with information, but its layout makes it so effective to use. It details size charts in both imperial and metric measures. It displays fabric layouts for the different variations of the blouse and dress. The instructions for the make comes in a step-by-step guide to each component of the blouse/dress, with straight forward directions for what to skip if you are making an alternative version.
Organic Cotton Poplin Fabric
I chose to make the blouse with an Organic Cotton Poplin in White. I wanted a clean white cotton shirt, although I can imagine this blouse would look great in any colour. The poplin has a nice crisp handle to it which I felt would hold the structure of the boxy cropped style of the blouse nicely, and would also hold the frill detailing nicely without being neither too flimsy or bulky.
Corozo Buttons
Corozo buttons are a great alternative to the standard polyester shirt buttons, as they look and feel pretty much the same, but these will biodegrade at the end of their life.
I was going to use a classic natural colour to keep the shirt a classic shirt, but then decided I would use a green colour instead to add a little bit of subtle fun to the blouse! I opted for a size 11mm for both the button stand and the cuffs.
Modifications
The booklet from the Papercut Pattern comes with finished garment measures which are pretty true-to-form. The only modification I made to the pattern was shortening the depth of the cuff frill by ½ inch / 13mm, as looking at the photos in the booklet, I felt they looked a little long for my style.
At first, I felt that the shoulder seam was too long/wide but after wear, I think it needs to be so in order to give it its boxy cropped look. I tried to pin a tuck at the back of the shoulder seam to see what the front would look like if the shoulder seam was narrower, but then I felt that the shirt didn't look right in proportion to the puffed sleeves too!
Conclusion
I really enjoyed this make, the construction was simple and straightforward with great instructions from Papercut Patterns, and I love the finished product. I will definitely be wearing this regularly as it is a great shirt that looks both classic, but also fun enough to transition to evening outs after work!
You can buy all the above components here at A KIND CLOTH! Just click on the links below!:
Check out more Papercut Patterns here!
Happy Sewing!
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Please note: All words and opinions expressed here are solely mine, and mine alone! - Marine @akindcloth.