I love a good surprise. Somehow, lately my sewing journey hasn’t allowed for many surprises. I think I’ve been making a lot of “safe” choices with my fabrics and patterns. Part of it is practical - I’ve replenished some basics in my wardrobe. But I think, it’s also that it’s been a tough year and I haven’t been very willing to risk my time, energy and creative hopes on something that might not turn out. So thank goodness for this fabric that shook me out of my creative “safe zone”!

When this fabric arrived, I was a little nervous. This very structured poly jacquard is basically the opposite of the types of fabrics I’m used to working with. It’s semi-sheer and very light, but it’s also stiff and structured. Very new to me. That got me thinking. “If this is all new to me, I should do some experimenting - get to know this fabric.” So I decided to play with volume, which is what inspired this outfit.

When I saw the newest pattern from Chalk + Notch, I was really intrigued by the lantern sleeve. I had a hunch the structure in this fabric would hold the volume of the Wren sleeve really nicely. I was totally right! It’s not something I would have gravitated towards before, but because I was in this mindset of play and experimentation, I went for it. And I love it so much!!

The Wren Blouse and Dress is a scoop neck, button-front dress and blouse featuring two variations on the lantern sleeve. I was initially planning to make the dress version. The dropped waist is so fun, but when I finished the bodice, I liked it so much I decided to just hem it and keep it as a blouse.

In keeping with the spirit of play, I used my leftover fabric to draft a skirt. Since the blouse’s lantern sleeve used curvature to create volume, I knew I wanted to try a different route to play with volume. I decided on a tiered elasticated waist skirt with as much gathering as possible. I’m so happy with the result!

For the first tier, I simply took my hip measurement and added a few inches of ease. I eyeballed the length and settled on 27 centimeters so that it would hit just below my hip after I flipped the top for the elastic channel. The second tier was really easy since I just used the 90 centimeter piece that was left. I divided it in two and stitched the two rectangles together. Let me tell you, gathering 3 meters of fabric is not for the faint of heart. It took me a whole Marvel movie to gather and pin everything in place.

I put on the blouse and skirt and fell totally in love! But there was still something missing. I dug through the scraps and managed to dig out just enough to make this fun ruffled headband. I made it from four tubes stitched together. I made the ruffle from a piece half the width of the main piece, then gathered it up and stitched it on as a ruffle. I really feel like it completes the whole look!

Make Breakdown
Pattern: Chalk + Notch Wren Blouse
Size: 18 C/D (Size range 35-59” hip + A/B & C/D bust options)
Fabric & Notions: 1.5 Meters Woven Jacquard Fabric Blue; Eight ½ inch buttons
Alterations: None
Difficulty: Intermediate

I’m so excited about this outfit! I was really unsure how everything would come together. I was so surprised by how much I love it! It goes to show how important it is to take time to play and experiment! Sewing is, after all, a creative practice! Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

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