Olive Blouse Review

Hi everyone, Becky here from Notes from the Sewing Room.

I was delighted to be asked to review the Olive Blouse by Simple Sew. Both the pattern and fabric were supplied for free in exchange for a blog review in my own words.

The Fabric

I made my new top in this beautiful viscose fabric that was supplied by Bobbins & Buttons.The fabric is really pretty and has a great drape to it. It’s by Dashwood Studio and called Birds of Paradise. It has a deep navy background with vibrant pink and orange birds on it.

The Pattern
The Olive Blouse is available as a printed pattern with a size range from 6 to 20. The top has a relaxed fit that works really well in a viscose fabric. The design of the blouse is a bit different from other blouses I have made due to the gathering at the shoulder seams and on the back yoke.

I think you could wear the blouse into the office or team it with jeans or a casual skirt to wear at home or socially. I made my blouse in a size 10 with no changes and used just under two metres of fabric.  The finished sleeves end just above my wrists. It seems a little unusual, but I actually really like this feature now I’ve got used to it.

The blouse is finished with buttons on the front. I chose some light purple buttons I had in my stash as I thought they worked well with the fabric colours. If you don’t like creating buttonholes, you could try to finish the blouse with snaps instead.  As blouse projects go, I think this was a fairly speedy project to make. I cut out the pattern pieces one afternoon and sewed up my shirt over a few hours scattered over just a couple of days.

I can’t wait to start wearing my new top out and about, I love the fabric and think it will add a splash of colour to my winter wardrobe. The pattern includes easy to understand instructions. Although, I think it would be beneficial to have made a few garments before trying to make this project as there are a few potentially tricky elements to tackle. For example, creating the buttonholes, gathering seams and adding a button placket. If you are new to sewing and want to try this project you could try to make your top in a cotton lawn or a cotton poplin fabric so the fabric may be more stable to work with, although this would give the shirt a different final look.
Would I recommend this project/fabric?

Yes, I am really pleased with my new top. I’d recommend both the viscose fabric and trying the Olive Blouse pattern; both are wonderful to sew and wear.