weekend getaway blouse with bias bound edges

Please welcome Claire to the blog today! She's the talented mind behind Belle Citadel and you can connect with her on Instagram at @belle_citadel. As part of the Liesl + Co. Advisors Circle, Claire is here to share her unique take on the Weekend Getaway Blouse. If you're looking for more inspiration for this pattern, check out Liesl's Pinterest board for the Weekend Getaway Dress and Blouse—there are plenty of styling ideas to spark your creativity. I've been eager to sew the Weekend Getaway Blouse for ages, so when I heard it was being re-released in paper format for spring, I jumped at the chance to put my own spin on it. According to the pattern description, it offers a relaxed fit with a flattering V-neck, kimono sleeves (no tricky set-in seams), and no closures—making it a breeze to sew. It also features a facing that can be left exposed for a striking contrast. Inspired by an image in Liesl's notes, I decided to ditch the facing entirely and finish the blouse with bias binding instead. As someone who’s still relatively new to sewing, this seemed like a simpler adjustment than some of the more complex alterations I’ve seen others attempt. If you’re looking for some springtime inspiration, be sure to check out Lori’s recent post featuring pleats—it’s a real showstopper! For my version, I chose a cotton lawn fabric that looked similar on both sides, which meant I only needed to cut the front, back, and pockets. I already had the perfect bright pink and gold cotton remnants in my stash, so I used the continuous method to create enough bias strips. This technique is fantastic because it lets you work with smaller pieces of fabric without wasting too much material. Before sewing the center front edges together, I removed the ½” seam allowance from the neckline and center front edges since they wouldn't be needed for the bias binding finish. I also followed Liesl’s advice and made a full bust adjustment on the size 14 pattern. Her method was new to me—it involved reshaping the garment body more significantly than other techniques I’ve tried—but I think it worked out beautifully on the front. Next time, though, I’ll probably lower the bust darts by about an inch. One thing to keep in mind when working with bias binding is which side you sew from. Since I finished the center front binding from the right side, it got flipped out to form the center front seam, leaving some stray threads that aren’t ideal. It’s not a huge issue, but if this kind of detail bothers you, consider sewing from the other side or taking extra care. After joining the shoulder and side seams with a French seam finish (which was essential given the fabric’s transparency), I bound the entire neckline and carefully finished the corners where the center front met the neckline with some hand stitching. While I could have done a better job with the corners, I learned a lot from Liesl’s tutorials afterward. Live and learn! Next, I added bias binding to the sleeves, trimming the hem allowance first. The blouse’s length was fine as-is, so I hemmed it with a narrow fold of ¼”, doubling it over for a total of ½”. At this point, I realized the blouse still felt incomplete. After pondering it for a while, I decided to add pockets. The pockets turned out beautifully—I’ve made several versions now, and these are among the best I’ve encountered in terms of construction and functionality. Adding them gave the blouse a more personal touch, and while I considered adding buttons, I ultimately decided to keep it simple. This blouse is incredibly lightweight and airy, a departure from my usual style. I can easily imagine wearing it over a bikini top with wide-leg linen trousers this summer. Of course, with Seattle’s unpredictable spring showers, it feels like a distant dream! Experimenting with this pattern was such a rewarding experience. It taught me a lot about adapting construction methods and sparked ideas for future projects. I’m already excited to dive into my next sewing project! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

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