This past summer I released my first women's sewing pattern, the Garden Dress + Blouse. The design for this dress came to me while working on my first sewing pattern for children. I was craving texture in a bodice and was really loving the idea of a vast amount of delicate tucks in a confined space. I also loved the idea of a relaxed fitting bodice with ties just above the waistline, which then led to the side panel detail. The design process for this garment was truly an organic one, so naturally, when I began dreaming of an elevated version of the Garden Blouse, I dove into the process with the intention of letting it unfold as I went along and thought how nice it would be to share it all with you.

1. I dropped & widened the crew neckline in order to eliminate the need for a closure.
2. I removed the seam at center back & turned the BACK DRESS/BLOUSE pattern piece into a single ‘place on fold’ piece.
3. I shortened the sleeve & widened the cuff to allow more ease.
4. I shortened the pin tucks around the cuff to create a well-balanced balloon shape in the sleeve.
5. I drafted a 2-piece, gathered peter pan collar using my newly drafted FRONT & BACK TEMPLATE pieces.

1. I used a lightweight 2.9 oz [100 gsm] handwoven cotton fabric that is not completely opaque. I would recommend using a lightweight fabric to capture the romantic essence of the blouse with the gathered collar and frilly sleeve cuffs.
2. For the lace trim, I sourced 2 that were 100% cotton with a scalloped edge. The lace trim for the collar is 1 inch [2.5 cm] in width & the lace trim for the sleeve is 13/16 inch [2 cm] in width.
3. I used the original v-neck binding pattern piece and lengthened it by 5 inches to make sure it would cover my new neckline.
4. If you haven't sewn a Garden Dress or Blouse with sleeves yet, I would highly recommend sewing a toile of the sleeve to check the fit of the cuff above the elbow. My size 4 sleeve cuff was a bit snug in this area so I altered my new sleeve pattern to allow more ease. Toile pattern files can be found in the ‘Sew A Toile’ folder of the Women's Garden Dress + Blouse PDF Pattern & a more thorough tutorial for shortening the sleeve can be found on pages 18 and 19 of the Instructions file.

The Process

For the BACK DRESS/BLOUSE piece, I removed the 0.5 inch [1.2 cm] seam allowance and added the annotation ‘place on fold’ to remove the slit closure and create a single back bodice piece.Once I completed the pattern alterations noted above, I followed the instructions to cut and sew the base of the blouse which included the FRONT DRESS/BLOUSE piece, my newly drafted BACK DRESS/BLOUSE piece, the BLOUSE TIES, and the FRONT & BACK BLOUSE FACING pieces. NOTE: I used my newly drafted FRONT & BACK TEMPLATE pieces to cut out my new neckline. Instructions for this step can be found on pages 30 to 32 of the Instructions file.   

Once the sleeves were assembled, I began drafting my gathered peter pan collar using the slash and spread method. To do so, I used my newly drafted FRONT & BACK TEMPLATE pieces. To determine the width of the collar, I considered the fact that I would be adding lace trim [which would further add to the width]. I didn't want my collar to overpower the blouse so I settled on a collar that was 2.75 inches [7 cm] wide. While drawing my collar I made sure that 90 degree angles were formed at all intersecting corners. I also measured 0.75 inches [1.9 cm] inwards from center front [as illustrated above], as the finished width of my lace trim would be 0.75 inches and I wanted both edges of the trim to meet up.
NOTE: Before cutting out my collar, I measured and drew in my seam allowances [as illustrated above]; 0.25 inches [6 mm] for the neckline & 0.5 inches [1.2 cm] for the shoulder seam; as I prefer to draft my patterns without seam allowance and add them in later.

Next, I cut out my newly drafted FRONT & BACK COLLAR pieces [without seam allowances] and pivoted the BACK COLLAR so that the shoulder seam would match the FRONT COLLAR shoulder seam [as illustrated]. I secured these two pattern pieces in place, then divided my collar into 1 inch [2.5 cm] sections using the neckline as a guide. To do this, I began by measuring 0.5 inches [1.2 cm] from the shoulder notch on either side & drew in my slash lines. NOTE: I made sure each slash line was perpendicular to the neckline [as illustrated above]. I then measured 1 inch from each of these slash lines and drew in my remaining slash lines. I also numbered each section to avoid confusion when piecing together my new collar. NOTE: For the size 4 collar, I ended up with 13 sections. You may end up with more or less depending on which size you are working with. Keep in mind, the method and measurements remain the same.

Once all of my slash lines were drawn and my sections were labelled, I cut along each slash line and created a 1 inch [2.5 cm] spread between each piece. Because I didn't want too much gathering at the front curved portion of the collar, I created a smaller spread of 0.5 inches [1.2 cm] between sections 12 and 13 [as illustrated above]. NOTE: When spreading my pieces, I used the neckline as a guide to ensure that I achieved a natural curve with my new collar. There is no exact shape to follow with this step as it is more of an instinctual process.
Once I secured all sections in place, I drew in my seam allowances of 0.5 inches [1.2 cm] for the center back seam and 0.25 inches [6 mm] for the remaining seams.

Once my collar was drafted and 2 collar pieces were cut out, I began working on assembling my collar. First, I sewed the back seam using the French seam method. NOTE: If you're not familiar with French seams, I explain how to sew them in the Instructions file. 

I then opted for a baby hem to finish the raw outer edge of the collar. Instructions for sewing a baby hem are explained in the sleeve hem section in this tutorial above. NOTE: Rolling, pressing and sewing the baby hem around the front curved edges of the collar can be tricky, but doable. I took my time during this step, sewing the baby hem in small sections at a time and was rewarded with a nicely finished collar in the end. 

Once my baby hem was complete, with the wrong side of my collar facing up, I measured and aligned my lace trim with the baby hem, and pinned in place. I then secured the lace trim using a basic straight stitch. NOTE: I gently eased my trim around the front curve of the collar. If you are working with a wider trim, you may need to ease even more in this section. Once my lace was secure, I trimmed the ends so that they were flush and followed the curve of the neckline.

To gather my collar, I first changed the stitch length on my sewing machine to the longest setting and stitched 0.25 inches [6 mm] from the neckline edge from one end to the other, making sure to leave long thread tails at both ends. I then gathered the collar by holding the thread tails at one end and gently pushing the fabric along the threads. Once there was an even amount of gathering throughout the collar, I placed the wrong side of the collar onto the right side of the blouse, aligning the shoulder and center back notches then pinned in place. I then changed the stitch length on my sewing machine back to its regular setting and stay stitched my collar slightly less than 0.25 inches [6 mm] away from the neckline edge. To finish the assembly of the collar, I removed my gathering threads.  

To finish the raw edges of the neckline, I pressed my v-neck binding following the steps outlined on page 34 of the Instructions file. I then pinned and sewed my binding in place following the steps on page 43, which goes into detail about how to properly overlap the bias binding in order to create a professional finish.  

I then followed the steps on page 37 to finish my collar, making sure to leave the collar out while edgestitching the neckline binding to the neckline of the bodice. 

The Reveal

I have to say, the process of designing this hack and following through was definitely not a smooth one. I sewed up a shorter sleeve initially with the original length of the pin tucks and realized after seeing it that I did not like the proportions of the balloon shape. I also drafted and sewed 2 test collars to figure out the perfect amount of gathering for this delicate peter pan collar.