Butterick B6842
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Vogue V8078 

Fabric: Cotton/poly eyelet from Fabric .com Interfacing is silk organza from Thaisilks .com

I love the look of eyelet fabric, but I’m not a big “floral” gal, and eyelets are usually floral patterns. When I saw this circle eyelet, I knew I had to make a blouse. With its heavy stitching interspersed with large gaps, eyelet is a tricky fabric which requires some planning. I knew it required a fairly simple pattern – no yokes or stand collars! – and then there was the question of interfacing. Anyone who has followed my makes knows that Butterick B6842 (formerly McCalls M6750) is my favorite button-up shirt pattern. I’ve made it in a variety of styles, with long, short, and no sleeves. I’ve also had Vogue V8078 in my stash for years (the copyright is 2005) I made it once; the fit wasn’t great, and the sleeve pattern was not trued with the armscye. Still, I loved the look of the tied peplum, so I kept the pattern. I determined that B6842 would be perfect for the eyelet. I decided to try using just the peplum pieces from V8078, which worked perfectly (thank you, wide seam allowances!) I then turned to interfacing. Threads Magazine ran an article some years ago (March 2004, 111:12) about using flesh tone colored facings for sheer projects. I used this technique with a previous eyelet blouse (I said I liked eyelet!) I tested flesh colored cottons with this fabric, but I felt that they would be too stiff for the tie. Instead, I opted to underline the peplum with off white-silk organza; I also used the silk organza to underline the collar. Silk organza is strong and sheer enough that it did not distract from the open eyelet. I hand understitched the front edges of the blouse; this helped the collar keep its shape. Stitching the eyelet itself was tricky. I backed my work with tissue paper when I stitched my darts. I made French seams on the shoulders, side and center back seams, as the double seam was stronger than a single one. In all, the pattern mashing and eyelet fabric came together beautifully. I love this blouse – it’s deliciously cool and comfortable in hot summer weather!