4.29.2012

the girl from ipanema



the colors of this outfit make me feel very tropical! where's my umbrella drink??

i worked on this blouse veerrry verrry slowly over my blog break. its my third (and final) of the rachel comey patterns i bought back in october, v1170. i'm not really sure why i didn't buy the fourth pattern from her that was available at the time. i think its because i really don't have much use for dresses in all reality. and also because those crazy style lines got totally lost on me in the leopard print. looking at it again, i actually think its quite cute. much more so than the new one - which is a bit unfortunate - but who knows! maybe that one will grow on me too! weirder things have happened...





this is another fabric from tessuti that i bought a while back. its a silk habutai called summer in italy and it was like sewing with butterfly wings. no seriously! this stuff seriously is so delicate and has no weight at all that i'd be holding it in my hands and i seriously couldn't feel it!  its very sheer, and very beautiful, i think. all the edges are  painstakingly hand rolled - which was no small feat because those sleeve ties are veeery curvy! i'll admit that my curved hand rolled hem started out pretty frightful - but by the last tie i got it looking pretty neat. the front of this blouse is cut on the bias, which added an extra element of delicate flimsiness! i was actually thinking of doing a post on my tips for working with extra delicate fabric like this - would anyone be interested?




i'm not going to sugar coat this - this is a bit of a strange blouse. i know a lot of you are on the fence about these rachel comey patterns, and i do understand why. this one was my least favorite of the bunch. its just a bit awkward to wear. there's a lot of fabric in odd places - like the armpits. actually the fullness of this top is controlled by gathers in the underarm which i find a bit strange. i actually played around trying to put pleats and gathers in other areas to reign in some of the fabric but it just made it worse. this top works best the way it was designed.

that being said - i'm actually quite surprised how much i like the way it looks in the pictures! maybe it was just worse in my head? if any of you were tinkering with the idea of sewing this blouse up, here are a few of my tips:

  • use a very very flimsy, drapey, droopy fabric (like my beautiful silk habutai!!). when i made my muslin of this top out of cotton it was really truly ugly. like, really. no exaggeration. a fabric with any stiffness will make the drapey bits stand away from your body in a really unflattering way. if silk scares you, something like a cotton voile would work too.
  • follow the gathering guides precisely for the underarm gathers. too much gathering and you won't be able to tie your sleeves. too little gathering and you get weirdly saggy armpits. and not in like a cool, dolman sleeve way. trust me.
  • fyi - this blouse is loose and boxy. making it from a sheer drapey fabric helps it seem not as much so. but regardless of that, it looks best tucked in.


just some views of the back button placket and the hand rolled hem - which will never see the light of day **sniff**

this top will probably not get a ton of wear. not because i don't like it, because i really do think its a pretty blouse (and it looks great with this oddly colored anthropologie skirt i've had forever and had no idea what to pair it with!) but because its actually very very delicate. between the sheer fabric and the hand sewing i'm a bit afraid that this blouse might not hold up too well with too many washes and wears. so it'll just get paraded out for the more special occasions! no harm with that...

this was the final make from my spring wardrobe. i'm pretty excited to get started on my summer wardrobe - especially since the humidity decided to set in today! hello texas summer! come on in, stay awhile (i know you will)...

xx

39 comments:

  1. It's a stunner. I hope you do get some wear from it because it looks great on you.

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  2. Hi Sallie!  Gorgeous makes, as always!  I would love to read your tips on working with these delicate fabrics - you seem to have conquered it!

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  3. A shame to leave it in the cupboard - do wear it, looks great!   Great work on such a difficult fabric.  Any tips greatly appreciated.

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  4. I made a really weird noise when I saw that first picture. Somewhere between a "Yesssss" and a "awwwww". Really super darling, and with that orange skirt and orange glasses you like a refreshing cup of sherbert. Also, seeing how beautifully you finished this makes me feel really bad for temporarily shelving my chiffon blouse. It got too frustrating. I would LOVE to see a post from you on sewing with delicate fabrics since you do it so beautifully.

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  5. That is me down there. I'm hungover and I got confused when I signed in.

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  6. OH MY GOD. This is gorgeous. So amazing, and paired with that skirt it made me gasp. I didn't like this blouse until I saw it in this fabric. It looks fabulous, and you look beautiful in those colors! And, I'm preparing to sew the other Rachel Comey blouse and a post about sewing with flimsy fabric would be very much appreciated. 

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  7. I think it looks great on you.  ive wanted to make this blouse for a while but finally decided that it is just not a flattering cut for my body.  but i love your version.

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  8. Gorgeous!! The blouse is seriously amazing, but the skirt takes the cake! Soooo in love with the skirt! 

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  9. Thanks Rochelle! I wish I could take credit for the skirt - but I bought this on sale at Anthropologie many moons ago. Its such a strange color that I don't wear it too often, but it was truly perfect with this top!

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  10. Haha! You crack me up! Thank you Heather! Also I think I totally get that sound you're describing... 

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  11. Wow!  I can't believe you hand rolled the hem.  That takes skill.  I think the shape is really nice.  I bet it would look good untucked with a pair of skinnies.  Then you could show off that hem ;)

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  12. I have this pattern, and think your version is incredibly beautiful!! I'm in awe of your skill! I would also love to have a discussion on how to sew these super delicate fabrics, for when I finally put needle to fabric on this one.
    I was thinking of putting in some tucks or something around the waist (a la Colette Sencha) to give it a little more shape.  

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  13. quietandsmall adventuresApril 29, 2012 at 8:10 PM

    yes,  yes, i want a post describing how to work with delicate fabrics!!! i have 6 yds of silk habatoi in my stash that i'm scared to cut into because i need finishing tips!

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  14. Miss Crayola CreepyApril 29, 2012 at 9:03 PM

    Wow, I LOVE your color choices, especially the skirt. I agree, you need a cocktail in your hand :)

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  15. Such a gorgeous outfit! 
    ps. I love that shade of lippy! Would you mind sharing what it is? ;)

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  16. love your choice of fabric. Very tropical! the top is very nice!

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  17.  It's really beautiful, Sallie and such a great color on you. I always love your styling - the lipstick, braid and sunnies are perfect.

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  18. Thats really essential - the hem is just too darn pretty!! I'll give it a try!!

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  19. Hey Alice!! Thanks for the compliment :) 
    I think tucks could work really nicely. Here's what I think, Since the front is cut on the bias it sort of "hugs" pretty nicely, and I'm not sure it would take too kindly to tucks. But some side seam contouring wouldn't hurt, and tucks in the back would definitely help with the back poof. You could also try a thin waist tie like with Colette's Taffy blouse. I think that could be pretty too.

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  20. Thanks Alana!! This lipstick was a good old drugstore buy - Revlon  Colorburst Lip Butter in "Tutti Frutti" - its a pretty orange.

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  21. Thank you Stephanie, likewise ;)
    Truthfully thats a bit of a "faux" braid, my hair is not quite long enough to pull off the real thing! There was a delicate support system of bobby pins keeping it in place!

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  22. This is so pretty!

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  23. This is a lovely blouse, Sallie. I love the coral peach colors of the silk with the mango--very pretty colors on you. Yes, hello summer!

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  24. ohh.. this is so frigging beautiful, it left me speechless.. even my owl are speechless.. gorgeoisity 

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  25. Look at you, pretty lady!  Love this outfit!  

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  26. Sis I ADORE this!  It's so beautiful and it looks like you're wearing a fairy kiss... Well done.  I missed your blog during your month off... so glad to have my favorite bit of cyber space back!  Hugs!

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  27. Once again, STUNNING! What a fabulous outfit and great work on the light weight silk habutai.
    best 
    Colette

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  28. Sooooo pretty! I agree with the sherbertt comment! You look yummy ! The blouse looks veeerrryyyy complicated though! What a beautiful print!! Xoxo

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  29. You made that blouse? Gorgeous! And I adore it paired with the Anthro (?) skirt!

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  30. Oh wow! This is to die for! The color is truly amazing. In most scenarios, that print would look very touristy put you pull it off quite nicely! I know your blog is a sewing blog, but you must give a tutorial on your hairstyle. I'm growing my hair out and I need some ideas for styling it.

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  31. Thanks Maddie!! I will definitely consider doing a hair post - I do so love my girly beauty and have been trying to incorporate it into the blog, but it just never feels right! Maybe its time to start another blog...

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  32. Mango! That is EXACTLY this color! I've been trying to place it forever - I kept thinking "pumpkin" or "squash" or "marigold" - but its mango!

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  33. This is a beautiful blouse and what a nice fabric!

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  34. So floaty and dreamy, and gorgeous with the skirt. Love!

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  35. Hi I love this rachel comey top I am definitely on the right side of the  fence! I think you look beauttiful and when I have more sewing experience I  might try it_ love the color combo too.

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  36. Awesome combo of pattern and fabric! Do you buy stuff from Tessutti online?

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  37. I do indeed buy from Tessuti online. Shipping takes a bit coming from Australia, but otherwise they have been lovely. Also, I always order a bunch at one time so I get free shipping. Gotta get that free shipping...

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  38. random colour advice - mustard pairs amazingly well with teals, turquoises, and eggplants. ooo, and greys! and warm brown tones as well (like nicely distressed medium-brown leather boots).

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