Adrienne Blouse in a Lady McElroy print

I made an Adrienne Blouse in a Lady McElroy print (Epic Spectacle)! I absolutely love this fabric, which I got from Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics two years ago (sorry, sold out now). My original plans for this fabric were to make a Kielo wrap dress. But this viscoe crepe jersey seemed a little delicate and I wasn’t sure it would wear well in the seat. So I decided to make a top. In the above photo, I’m also wearing a hat I made from a 1960s vintage McCall’s pattern. I’ve made one in black and white wool felt, too. The pants are the Jalie Renée Ponte Pants.

This is my second version of this Friday Pattern Company design. My first Adrienne was a floral rayon jersey print. That fabric was slightly lighter in weight and hangs lower in the neckline than this one. for this pattern, the neckline depth depends on your fabric and the elastic at the shoulders. You can adjust the elastic length. This pattern goes up to size 4X (bust 53-54″/134-137 cm).

In this photo, I’m wearing a cap I made from a pattern I drafted. I’m wearing this cap backwards, with the brim in the back.

Adrienne Blouse pattern details

This pattern has zero ease in it and negative ease in the bust. So the second time around, I decided to make size XL instead of L. I made size L for my first Adrienne Blouse and it was too snug in the bust for me — that’s just my preference. (You can read about what I did to fix that in this blog post.)

This pattern has just three pieces — bodice, sleeve, and neckline ribbing. The bodice piece is the same for the front and the back. How simple is that? And there’s 1/2″ (1.27 cm) elastic at the shoulders and sleeve. I really love this pattern. It is simple to sew, but you do have to be accurate in cutting the pattern pieces, especially at the neckline. If you don’t cut and sew the neckline pieces accurately, the neckline ribbing will not line up with the elastic at the shoulders.

Pattern adjustments

When I traced size XL, I made the waist an inch smaller by using my French curve to come in 1/4″ on the side. That’s the only adjustment I made, other than sewing a larger size. (Side note: The waist on my first Adrienne is a bit loose now since I’ve lost some weight.)

Size XL is for bust 40-43″/102-109 cm, but my bust is really the Adriene Blouse size L (38-39″/95-99 cm). I’m also an A cup but size L was just too fitted for me. If you want a tight fit, pick the size for your measurements. If you want something that has a little ease, go up one size.

Thread and needle

I used Gutterman polyester thread 865 (an ochre color) and used a Schmetz 70/10 jersey needle. I looked at my thread stash and considered off-white and red before settling on ochre. I wanted a color that was sort of neutral and would blend well with all the different colors. The ochre matches the hair of the person with the pink glasses and orange top. Plus there’s yellow and green in the background. So ochre seemed like the best option.

I used a small zig zag stitch for the side seams but when I sewed the channels for the elastic and when I hemmed the bottom, I didn’t want to use a zig zag stitch. So I tested a straight stitch with wooly nylon in the bobbin for the elastic and a double needle for the hem. Wooly nylon is stretchy so when you sew a straight stitch on jersey knit fabric, your stitches won’t break. I didn’t have matching wooly nylon so I was testing the colors I had — black, red, and white — in my test stitches.

I did not like the double needle for the hem. The print is on a white background and the white is more apparent in the double needle stitches than the single straight stitch with wooly nylon in the bobbin.

Sewing tips

When I inserted the elastic at the shoulder and the sleeves, I taped my safety pin shut using some washi tape, which is thin and flexible.

At the wrists, I overlapped the elastic and sewed two lines of stitching, which is probably overkill because there is no stress on the elastic at the wrists.

This lightweight viscose crepe jersey pressed beautifully. Because it was so lightweight, I pinked the side seams rather then finishing them on a serger or using a zig zag stitch. And to reduce bulk at the side seams at the hem, I graded the seam allowance, just at the hem.

I used Design Plus double-sided fusible tape to stabilize the hem and ensure the the top stitching would look good. It comes in a roll and one side has a strip of paper that you iron in place. Then you peel off the paper and then press in place. You can see that the fusible is very lightweight.

Then I pressed the hem in place. This is what it looked like before I sewed the hem. It’s a bit tedius to iron on, especially because the hem of this blouse has a slight curve and the fusible tape is a straight line. I had to cut it a couple of times so it would curve. But the results are worth it.

More photos

Here are a few more views of this top — the left side…

… and the right side.

And here’s the top with my colorful Pilvi Coat, which I had also photographed in front of this same mural back in 2017. So I thought I’d wear it again. At first I thought, oh, too much? Prints clashing? But I like it!

This is my last make of 2022. Goodbye 2022. Happy new year, everyone! Here’s to a safe, happy, and glorious New Year!