Mathilde Hack

This started out as a sleeveless Mathilde blouse but I couldn’t get it to stop looking like a 1950s maternity night gown so I improvised a little.

I cut straight down the middle of the shirt and folded in the edges to add button holes and buttons. And since the facing edges now show when the shirt falls open I used bias tape to cover them.

I added some shaping to the sides after I made the front opening to make it a little more flattering but now there’s some gaping on the back. It’s not so bad that I won’t wear it but it does bug me a little.

After wearing it for the day and looking at these pictures I think I’m going to go back and add one more button on the bottom.

 

Mathilde Blouse 2.0

I really wanted to try this pattern out as it was intended to be sewn. I did reduce the fullness in the bottom of the sleeves by about four inches and lengthened it overall by an inch and a half.

It was getting late when I took these pictures, and I had already worn the top all day but hopefully you can still see all the details.

Like these pleats! They aren’t super noticeable from far away because of the print but these little details really make the shirt seem professional.

These cuffs were so much easier to work with than I thought they were going to be. I guess that’s what happens when you’re used to working on tiny children’s clothes.

Mathilde Blouse by Tilly and the Buttons

It’s finally done! I really wanted to take my time with this and make something I would actually wear. Unfortunately I’m not 100% sure I can pull this shirt off but that’s entirely related to my fabric choice and has nothing to do with the actual pattern. The pattern I loved! I’m definitely going to use it again with a different type of fabric and want to make it with the full sleeves next. And the pleats!

The Mathilde pattern was really easy to work with but what really sealed the deal were the series of instructions on the website. When you download the pattern it comes with a short list of instructions that do assume at least a basic understanding of garment construction. But the website has a ton of tutorials that lead you through each step with really helpful explanations and photographs.

There’s some weird static cling going on on the left side there.

The one area that I got stuck on were the back openings. I’ve never sewn them to be turned inside out before so I had a hard time visualizing it. I’m really glad I stuck with it though because it was kind of like magic and now I’m obsessed and want to do all my openings this way.

French Seams! Another obsession of mine.

I’ve got to be honest, a friend did tell me that I looked like I was in half a Blanche nightgown and while I don’t disagree with her I think that it’s mostly due to how shiny this fabric is and the fact that I gathered instead of pleating it. When I first put it on I thought it would look really cute with a pair of coordinating bloomers (maybe these?). It’s growing on me though.

I do really like it belted but my husband makes fun of me when I try to belt things. He doesn’t believe me that it’s a real “thing”.

 

 

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Working on a Mathilde Blouse

After the flurry of Kids Clothes Week there’s not many things we’re short on in the kid’s department. But I’ve had this really pretty silk like fabric for a while now and have been looking for the perfect pattern to use with it.

I finally settled on the Mathilde Blouse by Tilly and the Buttons. I love it but I had to cut my sleeves short since I only have a little over a yard of the fabric. And I had to throw cutting on the grain out the window pretty quickly.

I don’t actually know what type of fabric this is because I bought it in a thrift store but it feels so nice! Don’t let that fool you though because man was it hard to cut.

Hopefully I’ll have it done by tomorrow!

(Sorry for the cell phone shots, late night sewing!)