Blouse Burda 7770

I made this blouse earlier this summer and have worn it quite a lot. When the weather is hot and humid,  I prefer a sleeveless over blouse. They tend not to show the rivulets of perspiration running down my body as readily as a  close fitting knit top.

Burda 7770 – princess seam blouse with  extended sleeve and an asymmetrical opening. This  Burda pattern has been around since 2007, so I was really surprised that there wasn’t already a review in blog land.  Burda envelope patterns are printed with seam allowances, and finished garment measurement for hip and bust on printed on the pattern pieces just like the big 4. The only thing I don’t like about the Burda envelope patterns is that the cutting layouts are printed on the pattern tissue, not on the instruction sheets. I often want to see the layout before I open up the pattern tissue. And from years of using big 4 pattern brands,  I am programmed to rough cut around the pattern pieces and throw away the pattern tissue scraps.

The fabric I used for this blouse is a cotton print remnant purchased at JoAnn Fabrics. The colors and floral motifs of the print reminds me of a piece of fabric my mother had in the early 70’s. The blouse on the pattern envelope front looks a bit small in the bust on the model. I checked the finished garment measurement of the bust printed on the pattern pieces and there was a 2 inch difference between it and mine (wearing ease). I thought that would be enough, but when I tried on the completed blouse it was tight in the bust area and I am not a busty gal. I reduced the seam allowance in the princess seam to 3/8 inch over the bust to give me a bit more room.

The asymmetrical front opening is faced, Easy peasy sewing.The only issue I had was, because I was using a remnant that was less than the recommended yardage, I had a difficult time finding a piece of the fabric with the right shape and size for the asymmetrical facing. Don’t tell, but it is slightly off grain. The blouse required 7 buttons and I had 8. I sewed the extra button to the inside side seam allowance, as is done on RTW men’s shirts, so it would be handy if I lost a button.

There is a very similar blouse in the Burda Style magazine 06-2007 issue, # 112 and 113, with the same asymmetrical front band/closure. However the magazine blouse has darts instead of princess seams, and either cap sleeves or long sleeves  instead of extended sleeves. The long sleeve version is featured in the detailed sewing course section. The magazine pattern would probably be easier to sew/alter and  give the same look.

I wear the blouse with several different bottoms; white RTW jeans, and culottes and capris which I made. More on the latter garments in the next post. This is a picture of me wearing the blouse  while giving a presentation at an ASG meeting. The  presentation topic was planning a SWAP (Sewing with a Plan) around a garment already in your wardrobe .