I first came across the Stitch Witch Patterns Tudor blouse on Instagram late last year and immediately thought of Clare.  It wasn’t the original Tudor blouse that took my fancy though – it was the front wrap hack that appealed the most.

From the pattern website: Meet the Tudor blouse – a whimsical summery piece designed for the romantic at heart! This blouse was inspired by 16th century square necklines, the drama of Tudor era fashion and modernized for the contemporary sewist! The Tudor blouse has two lengths: a cropped version, or a longer version that reaches the high hip. Pattern package includes the free Tudor blouse wrap hack. The center front of the blouse features a button closure (clasps and snaps can be used in place of buttons). The sleeves are elasticated, making the blouse a very quick sew! The pattern also has another new feature: two bust cup options! A small bust version (A-B) and a full bust version (C and up).

Size wise, the patterns goes from 0 to 26. I think that I sewed Clare size 4 or 6 – because it is the wrap version, it’s pretty flexible fit wise anyway. I bought the pattern before the update with cup options. The ‘wrap hack’ also has two options – one that has a solid back and wrap front, and the other with a solid front and wrap back.

This is super easy to sew. Elastic encased in a channel across the top of the shoulders and elastic in a channel at the sleeve hem to gather it in. The back piece is faced, and the front wrap ties are doubled. It’s very quick to make, and pretty easy to wear. So much so that it didn’t take long before I sewed it a second time.

I had a bit of fun trying to ensure that the border print didn’t mean that there would be a big circle right on each nipple when the top was tied! It’s worked out okay in the end, phew! The blue gingham seersucker that I used for the first top had proven to be a perfect fabric weight, and the voile I used for the second also worked beautifully. Both fabrics were lightweight enough that the double layers in the ties weren’t thick and unwieldy.

The neckline of this blouse pretty much aligns with Clare’s bra straps. I have added strap keepers to both these tops to eliminate the possibility of the sleeves falling off her shoulders.

This really is one of those almost instant satisfaction projects. It’s fashionable, easy to sew, and easy to wear. Clare wore both these tops quite a lot over the summer.