Pussy Bow Blouse

Saturday 1st Mar 2025

A lady with short brown hair standing in front of a white door wearing a black, grey & white animal print long sleeved blouse featuring a tied bow at the neck.

FABRIC

Around Christmas time, 2023, I bought a blouse in a crepe type fabric, and I loved the style and drape. After looking at sewing patterns for something similar I decided on the Pussy Bow Blouse from Sew Over it (SOI). Minerva gifted 2 metres of gorgeous soft polyester crepe in grey and I felt the pattern and fabric were the perfect combination.

The fabric is light to medium weight polyester with no stretch and is lovely to work with. It washed and dried well and no ironing was required. If I recall, I don't think I've ever sewn with crepe in the past.

Searching 'Crepe fabric' on the Minerva website brings up all of their beautiful designs.

PATTERN

The Pussy Bow Blouse is a classic style with two options – v neck or a keyhole opening. The blouse features full length sleeves with a cuff, loose fitting bodice and a slightly dropped shoulder and is designed for the Confident Beginner.

There are two size ranges – UK 6 -20 and 18 – 30, the upper range incorporates a bust dart.

The pattern recommends light to medium weight woven fabrics with lots of drape, such as rayon, viscose, crepe de chine, sand washed silk and crepe.

I chose to make view 2 with the V neck & to use 2 x 1.5cm self-cover buttons for the cuffs.

The SOI site has lots of useful resources and Sew Along on You Tube.

Black line drawings on a white background of five dresses showing different options with sleeves, collar and lengths

SIZE & ALTERATIONS

My measurements, & comparing to the finished size, put me in size 14 upper bust, 16 full bust, 18 waist & hips, so some grading was needed. After making a quick woven test garment I felt the bust didn’t have enough ease, so I did a 1”/2.5cm full bust adjustment, adding a side dart, giving an extra 2”/5cm across the full bust. Going up a size would have made the neck & shoulders too big. I also did a full bicep adjustment, also 1”/2.5cm, to allow enough ease. Both adjustments are usual for me.

NOTIONS

The notions I required for my chosen option were -

Matching thread
Hemline self cover plastic buttons (8-12mm)

Waterproof tape shown stuck to the fabric inside a waterproof coat pocket

A stitched seam inside a coat shown with clear water proof tape stuck over the stitch lines

CONSTRUCTION

The pattern instructions are very straight forward, and it is an easy pattern to follow. Crepe is an easy fabric to work with, taking care as it can be a bit slippery. It washes well, doesn’t need ironing and has a lovely drape.

The fit was spot on with my usual adjustments and the bust dart added the required shape and room that I needed across the bust, whilst fitting nicely across the neck and shoulders. The cuffs were straight forward to complete and I added a self-cover button using the same fabric as the blouse.

A lady standing in front of plants in a garden wearing a blue grey raincoat with the hood up

A lady standing in a garden with her back to the camera wearing a blue grey raincoat with the hood up

I made a second blouse a few weeks later in black & white crepe. I was pleased that it was a quick & straight forward make, now that I have my size & adjustments sorted, as this second blouse was to be worn for my father's funeral ❤️.

REVIEW

I love the blouses in this fabric and they are great for smart or casual occasions. Both fabrics make a cost-effective garment, currently being £4.99 per metres (correct at time of posting).

Thank you to Minerva for such lovely fabric.