FINISHED! Pollock Peplum

Part of the Charlie Hebo public memorial in Place Kleber, Strasbourg
We are back home from 6 weeks holiday! Back to school and work on Tuesday, so I am profiting from the last few days off to get to know my new sewing machine, my birthday present from last November (yes such a long wait to get to use it) and to sew up some holiday fabric. Predominately the holiday was to visit family but for those of you who follow me on instagram will know that I also managed to squeeze in two fantastic days with sewing friends. Meeting up with sewing friends who I've met through the online community is really like meeting up with old friends. It just comes so naturally. These days were absolute highlights of my trip especially as they occurred after Charlie Hebdo, a time when I really needed a bit of distraction from the profound sadness.
I'll talk about my  sewing day in Paris in another post, but this make is from fabric I bought in Strasbourg, where I spent most of the holiday. Here, I met up with Christine for a day of chatting, fabric, lunch and shopping.  We were also going to meet up with Connie, who sadly couldn't make it at the last minute.  Next time! And in fact Christine has sent me a list of amazing places to go to in the extended area so now I can't wait to go to Strasboug again next year and meet up with Christine and Connie! In Strasbourg centre ville there isn't really many places to fabric shop, but there is La Droguerie, where I bought two pieces,  This make uses a liberty-esqe lawn called Pollock Flamboyant Ambiance. an abstract splatter paint design.  I bought matching binding (genius!).
I'm always nervous about sewing up holiday fabric. It always seems so much more special, but I was impatient to sew and try my new machine and this was the 'easiest' piece of fabric that I bought. I was going to sew another Marthe, but there has been a lot of talk on instagram on the Japanese Sewalong so I thought I would have a look at my Japanese pattern books.
Last year when I was in Sydney for Frocktails, Lizzy  bought  Clean and Simple and I immediately fell in love with the jumpsuit in it.  I didn't have time to go to the book shop in Sydney and pick up a copy but immediately rang the bookstore on arriving back in Canberra and bought it over the phone. I am still super keen to sew up the jumpsuit, especially after meeting Christine, who is absolutely the jumpsuit queen, (making 11 in the last 18 months!), but I was looking for something simple and quick, so after much deliberation settled on the peplum blouse on the cover.  My love for the peplum is well documented and I have been itching to sew a higher necked top for ages,
During the making of this blouse, I fluctuated between loving it and hating it. The peplum is unusual and sits lower than I would normally like to wear it (being on a trend lately of moving peplums higher and higher) and it is elastic waisted. I find I have to be a bit vigilant with the elastic as it can cause the 'ruffles' to be a bit uneven. I love Japanese patterns as they are drafted for my height 160cm (well I'm a few centimetres shorter but when you round..), but I added a couple of centimetres to the 'skirt' to give me some flexibility. I should have added a bit more as I felt the balance would be out if I did a bigger hem and so only managed a very small hem (overlocked and then turned up 1/2 cm).
The blouse has dropped shoulders, which I love and as a result I kept the elastic loose in the peplum as it looked like that was how it should be in the cover photo and I like how this lets the blouse hang. The sleeves are quite puffy and have elastic in the wrist. I took 3cms off the length of the sleeves to assist with balance.  I always like to show the wrist bone when there is elastic in the wrist! :) I might consider reducing the puffiness of the sleeve next time.
There are no darts to sew and the neck is finished with binding and the back is closed with a button - which is self covered as I amazingly didn't have anything that I really liked in my stash.
So my verdict on the blouse. I like it. Ok, it's not exactly a woo hoo make, but I do like the quirkiness of the design and I really like wearing it and can imagine wearing it at different times. I've worn it here very casually but it will also look ok with skinny leg jeans or for work. I wore it yesterday to meet up with sewing friends and there wasn't much love for it there, but I know this isn't a blouse for everyone and in reality I couldn't see any of my friends wearing it so I wasn't offended. So maybe that's why I like it, in fact, that might make me like it more! So that's the first make of 2015 done!

33 comments:

  1. I loved it, but like I said you are the only person I know who does a high neckline so beautifully! I would look like a nun. It's a very "you" make. And you're the one who has to be happy with it, no one else! I love how all our friends have different styles that we like.

    And I'm so using the "rounding up/down" philosophy. I might round down to a size 16, and up to 5 foot 11.

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  2. You look stunning in it!! You're inspiring a rather long wish list of things to make this year and fabrics to buy. 😘

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  3. I think your top is beautiful, especially the vibrant colours in that fabric! And I must say, the older I get, the more I tend to wear looser tops rather than the fitted kind. I don't nned to worry about the extra pizza, pasta, or glass of bubbly I consume!!

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  4. Ooh that fabric - well both of them, really, but I ADORE this paint splatter fabric! Your top looks lovely on you; a little different, but very stylish and arty. I think it's going to be perfect through autumn.

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  5. Such amazingly beautiful colours in that top. Love the drop shoulders too. Great make as usual ;-)

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  6. I think it's cool! I really like the painterly vibe of the fabric and the loose silhouette. I would wear it.... I hope that doesn't make you like it less :-)

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  7. Beautiful colours on you. I'm not sure many can pull off a neckline like that, but you certainly do. Welcome home! :)

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  8. I really like it! The colours are fab. I think though that Marthe is particularly amazing on you. Charlie Hebdo was incredibly sad. There are so many terrible things we've witnessed lately.

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  9. It is beautiful and a little different. Great make.

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  10. Somtimes those not-quite 'woo hoo makes' grow on you. I love this whole look on you, esp in combo with the boyfriend jeans and white sneakers.

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  11. Rowing your own boat is what makes your makes so appealing! I agree that I couldn't make this work on me (remember my "pirate" blouse, eek), but this is perfectly you and for that reason I love it. I don't generally measure the beauty of someone's make based on whether it would suit me. It's whether they nail it for them. You did lovely lady x

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  12. Oh, the fabric! This top may become your favourite: it looks comfortable, it works with jeans and (I'd say) with skirts too, its stands out in the crowd! I need a top like this one!

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  13. it's super cute! and I agree with you that I am always nervous cutting holiday fabric, but I'm getting better at it. the more holidays I take, the less precious the fabric becomes :)

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  14. Every time I see one of those clean, high key, dreamy Japanese sewing books I start drooling... This one looks really good on you and I bet it's very comfortable to wear and I think the clothes we end up wearing a lot are those we fell good in and not necessarily the ones that take more skill making or have more bells and whistles. :).
    ps excellent call on keeping the elastic looser

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  15. Thanks Sasha. I agree, and this top remarkably makes me feel good in it. I have been wearing it heaps since wearing it.

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  16. Thanks Christine and I agree - we just need to take more holidays and then it's not so scary! Next time I'm going to try and travel outside of winter so I have more room in my bag for more purchases!

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  17. Thanks Inna. I really like it because it is just a little different. And oh the fabric is FAB!

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  18. Thanks Jillian, wise words! You know I thought a lot about your pirate blouse as I was making this! I've been wearing this heaps and heaps since making it - yes I'm spending the last few days of my holidays in the SAME clothes.. so I reckon I'm pretty close to a woo hoo for me.

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  19. Thanks Lisa - you and I have similar tastes. I'm loving this look at the moment - especially with the slightly cooler weather so it is definitely moving to a woo hoo make!

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  20. Thanks Rachel. I adore the Marthe style but it doesn't hurt to branch out (within the peplum group :)) The amount of sadness can sometimes feel overwhelmning.

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  21. I've been watching all the drop shoulder makes of late and not really thought about them, but it is a great style and I can see many more drop shoulders in my future.

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  22. Thanks Bella, that just makes me happy! I could see you wearing it as well!

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  23. Ha thanks Sarah! It is certainly high and makes me feel a little bit like I'm wearing a paint smock - but hey! oh and it's really great to be home.

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  24. The fabric reminds me a little of your painterly dress! It's funny that you should say arty as there is something about the high neckline that makes me think a bit of a paint smock. But it is becoming a firm favourite.

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  25. I love that we all have different styles and tastes as well. So much more interesting than all of us wearing the same thing. Oh I am always rounding :)

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  26. This is freaking rad, lady! I missed a chance to say how much I dug it (and also how much I wanted to feel the fabric because it looked so soft). This is such a you make- epically worn casually and I bet it would look sassy dressed up for work :D
    PS I have moved to #teamoccasionalpeplum ;)

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  27. Fab fabric! Love the pattern design too. I always feel stressed making up holiday fabric too. You definitely have a winner!

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  28. Cute fabric and I think that you do quirky particularly well. Love the dropped shoulders.

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  29. I think it looks great. I love the print with this pattern. I do agree the waist elastic could be a little higher but the proportions work. Overall a great blouse!

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  30. Kirsty this looks fab and the colours are so vibrant - it's perfectly you! I really enjoyed our Strasbourg day too and can't wait to repeat it next year, hopefully with Connie as well! Christine

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