Named Helmi blouse with a hack > with my hands

When I made my Named clothing Helmi dress, I decided I needed to make the blouse version as well. The original pattern has some trench coat inspired details but I wanted really to find a good pattern for a loose fitting shirt. For the fabric, I chose this simple black and white stripy viscose fabric.

I had written down that the dress I made was a bit tight across the bust. So, for the first time in my life, I made a full bust adjustment. I didn’t want to go up to the next size since the pattern otherwise fitted pretty well. The full bust adjustment made my side seams different lengths and I tried to correct this. However, I miscalculated and the back piece ended up being an inch longer. Rather than correcting it, I decided that it looked good and left it like it was.

My finished Named clothing Helmi blouse from the side view.

Then there was the fact that I wanted proper cuffs for the shirt. Since this was a Named pattern I figured out that I could probably use the sleeve from another Named pattern. The Saraste dress from the book Breaking the pattern had the sleeve I needed, except that it had the seam at an unusual position. I took the length of the sleeve, the vent and the cuff and otherwise left the original sleeve as it was.

My finished Named clothing Helmi blouse from the back view.

I paid attention to the pattern matching, so I could use the stripy pattern to help me to press the front buttoning placket. That really helped since the viscose was really shifty.

My finished Named clothing Helmi blouse from the front view.

I like the finished Helmi blouse but there are some little things that I want to correct for the next version. I think that the collar could be a bit more snug and just a tiny bit smaller. I could also improve the drape of the sleeve cap that gets wrinkly when I lower my arms. An inch more length might also be nice.