Ah, another Lekala blouson.  May I present to you my first make of Lekala 5811 – it is the first make because there will definitely be a second.

I sewed this up as a wearable muslin from a lovely viscose striped knit that came to me from Anna. I wasn’t really sure about all those stripes going in different directions, but the viscose is definitely the right sort of fabric for this drapey top. Both the front and back sleeves are gathered into shaped centre front and centre back pieces.

The front and back pieces are similarly shaped but the front has a small cowl. This is a pattern where you definitely need to keep very careful track of which piece is which and which piece goes where. I laid out the front and back separately like a jigsaw puzzle during the construction process, which definitely helped to keep everything in the correct place.

There’s plenty of fabric in those sleeves! Doing the gathering was a little time consuming, but once it was done I was able to construct the rest of the top very quickly on the overlocker. The sleeve hems and back neckline are turned and stitched in place, and the bottom has the double layer hip band. I was surprised at how well the cowl neckline sat – it really does stay where it is meant to, despite being a relatively small cowl.

While I was at Sewjourn I also made my third Vogue 1247 skirt (also from fabric given to me by Anna). The fabric was a DKNY cotton/silk originally from The Fabric Store, and it was straightforward to work with. However, unlike my previous two makes of this skirt, it didn’t contain any stretch component. This has made the skirt feel much tighter around my middle than the previous two, despite it being cut out at exactly the same size but taking slightly smaller seam allowances.

I lengthened the skirt around three inches, the same as previously, and left off the waistband. I finished the waist edge with bias binding in the same fabric that was used for the inside of the pockets.

The back closes with an invisible zip – matched perfectly at the centre back yoke seam, I must say!

Unfortunately, because I don’t wear anything tucked in you can’t see the yoke detail, the zip matching, or even the clever little pockets! Three versions of this skirt is enough for now, but I don’t think that I have completely retired this pattern just yet. And I will definitely be making the top again.