Peter Pan Collar Ruched Blouse Tutorial

I have had this darling polka-dot chiffon fabric for over a year, waiting for the right  amazing inspiration to hit me. I considered a skirt (which would've been adorbs!!), but I have a TON of skirts, and I'm always wanting new, original tops to wear.

I am SO in LOVE with the Peter Pan collars that are popping up on blouses everywhere, and I am totally digging all the lace overlays and inlays being added to every kind of clothing.

SO... I decided to do a bit of both with this sensational easy-to-make blouse!

Whether you are an experienced or newly-budding sewist, this tutorial will be a surprising cinch. I'll walk you through each step!

You will need: 

• Chiffon Fabric:  26" wide x 60" length.  If you are shopping, one yard should be enough. Knits, silks, or other light-weight flowing fabrics would also work. 
• Lace trim, gathered: 3/4 yard of  1.5-2" wide. I used cotton eyelet lace.
• Elastic thread
• Scissors; Corresponding thread; Chalk for marking; Sewing pins; Sewing machine 

1. Fold fabric in half (wrong sides together) to make a 26" wide x 30" long rectangle. Find the center of the width and mark it at the fold with chalk. (I laid chalk here so you could see it clearly.)

2. Measure 4 inches on each side of the center and mark with chalk. Measure 3-4 inches down (depending on how low you want your neckline), and mark with chalk. Draw a line connecting the three marks to make a half-circle. This is your front neckline.

3. Measure and mark 4 inches down from the upper left and right fold corners. 

4. Draw chalk lines connecting the side marks to the each end of the neckline. These are your shoulder lines.

5. Make a mark 1.5-2  inches down from the center point along the fold.

6. Draw a curved line from the ends of the neckline to the mark you just made. This is the back neckline.

7. Cut along the TOP curved chalkline through BOTH layers of fabric.

8. Cut along the BOTTOM curved chalkline through only the TOP layer of fabric.

9. Cut along the shoulder lines through BOTH layers of fabric.

10. Turn fabric to right sides together (RST). Sew the shoulder lines together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

11. Turn fabric to right sides out. Sew a rolled hem around the neckline. 

10. Pin the lace around the neckline. I left extra at the end because pinning around a curve with gathered lace is not an exact science. I had to do some re-positioning at the end. Fold the ends of the lace under and at an angle to make the "Peter Pan" shape to the collar. Pin in place. Sew a topstitch along the top of the lace first, then carefully topstitch along the outside edges of the entire collar. (I did this as my very last step for this blouse, but you may as well do it now since you'll already have the right thread in your machine).

11. Measure and mark 9 inches down from the corner of the shoulder. From there, draw a line 3 inches horizontally. From there, draw a straight line to the bottom of the fabric.

12.  Repeat #11 for the other side of the blouse front. 

13. Cut through both layers of fabric along the chalk lines you just drew. (It's starting to look like a shirt, huh?)

14. Draw a curved line beginning 4 inches above the bottom corner down to 4 inches along the bottom edge. Cut through both layers of fabric along this line.

15. Fold the blouse in half along the length, and use the curve you just cut to draw an identical one on the other side. Cut along this line through both bottom layers of fabric.

16. This is what your shirt should look like (folded in half) at this point. Unfold for the next step. Turn right sides together.

16. With RST, pin along the bottom of both sleeves and sides of the blouse, ending at the top of the  curve. 

17. Put ELASTIC THREAD in the bobbin of your sewing machine. This is the key to making this shirt "ruched." With a 1/4" seam allowance, sew along the bottom of the sleeve to the top of the curve at the bottom of the shirt on both sides (where you just pinned in #16). Tie off with a back-stitch at the beginning and end. 

18. Sew a rolled hem along the sleeve edges. 

19. Sew a rolled hem around the bottom of the blouse. 

You are done! 

Participating in these link-ups. 

Wavy Scarf Tutorial

As I write this post, it is 65 days until Christmas. Time to kick your gift planning into gear, folks.

But no reason to start stressing. I bring you good tidings of great joy. Every woman and girl on your list has a neck that needs dressing...and I'm here with the solution!

This scarf tutorial is not only quick and easy. It is so versatile. Young or old, punk or preppy, you can customize each scarf to the wearer. And they can customize how they wear it! 

My mom was in town this past week, and the two of us whipped out 6 of these in about 2 hours. And they cost us about $2 each to make. Score!!

Here's the how-to~

You will need: 

• 14-16" of a 60-inch-wide flowing type of fabric. (Knits, poly-blends, silks, chiffons, and challis are all good choices).
• Coordinating all-purpose thread
• Elastic thread

1. Sew a rolled hem on the edges of the fabric, if needed. If you are using a jersey knit (as well as some poly-blends), the cut edge may be fine to leave un-hemmed. Since you will likely be using the full width of the cut, the short edges may have a factory finish you can leave.  I used the rolled-hem feature on my serger to finish the long sides.

My mom chose this fabric. Isn't it lovely? It is a silk-like chiffon. 

2. Use your machine to put elastic thread onto your bobbin and thread your machine as you normally do-- put coordinating all-purpose thread on top, elastic thread in the bobbin. If you are only making one scarf, you won't need a full bobbin of elastic thread. We filled our bobbin and had enough for 8+ scarves. Move your stitch width to 4.

3. With right side of the fabric up, sew a top stitch (tying off with a back-stitch at the beginning and end) directly down the center of the length of the scarf. 

That's it! Scarf complete!

Sewing just one length with the elastic thread in the bobbin will gather up the scarf enough to give it a soft, wavy look!

A special thanks to my models! Aren't they lovely? So sophisticated and stylish. I didn't instruct them how to wear the scarves--they each draped or knotted them on their own! I adore every style! 

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