Broderie Anglais Rachel Comery blouse
My 100th post! On a whim, I mentioned to my mother that I might make this pattern again, using broderie anglais, and here it is. This is despite the fact that I almost certainly said that I would never make it again after the first time. Here is ‘the first time’… most recently seen in Me Made May, when I commented that I wear this a lot. Indeed, I am even wearing it in my little blog picture – top left!
Rachel Comery blouse
The first version was incredibly difficult to make, as I couldn’t mark anything, thanks to the fabric design, and its one of those patterns when all the dots need to be carefully matched. So a relatively plain white fabric from Minerva Crafts stood a much better chance. And yet, somehow , the multi-coloured, slightly slippery fabric, if anything, has come together better than the clearer marked and matched white fabric. Or maybe it just hides a multitude of sins! There are a few differences between the two. Given that the joy of broderie anglais is to show off the patterned fabric, this one has:
- No pockets
- No yoke facing
- No interfacing in the front and neck facings.
I think that the first two decisions were probably right. Here’s a back view. 
But i am not sure about the decision to omit the front and neck facing interfacing, as I did interface the collar and it looks fine. Although all of the dots are matched, the neck and front facing are not evenly sewn, and that is far more noticeable with a plain coloured, and indeed, evenly patterned fabric. In the picture the collar end points don’t look level, but they are properly matched to the dots. I think that it just the shoulder width of the dress form, which is somewhat wider than my shoulders (which I hope also why the back right shoulder seems to be pulling a bit). 
Should I have gone for statement buttons, or ones that match the fabric style and blend in? Obviously, I went for the latter, and they blend in well. The trouble with going for a statement style is that it starts to limit what you can wear with clothes – blue buttons would have limited it to be worn with blue skirts or trousers, and likewise pink/ red shades. Yellow might have worked with anything. I could always change the buttons in the future. The front is fiddly. At least with the white, I was able pretty much line it up where it should be, and stitch on the designated sewing lines. Version 1 is a bit wonky in that area, and doesn’t hang perfectly, but I still wear it loads, albeit, now it has competition in the smart, casual, any season top arena!
One Week, One Pattern
Me Made May 2016
Me Made May 2015
Simplicity Competition
Sew Over it Patterns
all my own work by ann 