A few weeks before Christmas I realised I could indulge my passion for purchasing beautiful fabric by buying some Liberty (courtesy of my beloved Kat’s Fabrics) in order to make gifts. Of course, the actual purpose of this purchase was to be able to make some special Christmas presents. During October Half Term I made my first Simple Sew Lottie Blouse, using some sheer viscose-type apple print fabric. Both my mum and my mother-in-law had admired it, and as it’s a simple pattern, yet a bit different from a lot of RTW, it was the obvious choice.

In my stash I had some Liberty I’d bought at last year’s Knitting and Stitching Show, so I chose to use that to make a Lottie for me, as a kind of muslin that would remind me of any issues when cutting or stitching. I also wanted to sew it up in the same tana lawn cotton that I would be using for the next two. It came together quickly and easily, although I was slightly foxed by the collar. I’m certain there must be a better/neater way to attach, and am not even sure that I pressed any of them correctly. The only other difference from the pattern is that, because I chose to use fabric that was narrower than 60inches, I cut the strip for the collar and bow as two pieces and stitched them together.
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Next I sewed one for my mother-in-law, not really making any adjustments to the pattern or techniques.
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Lastly, I added two inches to the length for my mum, as she is the tallest of the three of us, and often buys clothes that are a size bigger than she really needs just to get the length.
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Both recipients were very pleased with their blouses, my mum’s seems to fit perfectly but my mother-in-law’s is a little snug, although she’s currently maintaining that it will spur her on to lose that final stone! I did French seam all of them so I’m thinking letting the seams out could help, but I’ll give her a while to work towards her goal. As yet I haven’t worn mine, but I’m pretty happy with how they all turned out, and this may well become another TNT pattern. I’m already envisaging a sleeveless version, which would look great if I could eek it out of the Charlie Harper in my stash…