Sarah shirt

The Sarah shirt is the first pattern that I’ve tried from By Hand London. I loved the design and the looseness of the fit, being a curvy sewer I try to stay away from anything that is too fitted.
For my version I used a viscose rayon. Fabric choice is key to achieving that lovely swing effect from this pattern. Although it can be made in sturdier wovens such as cotton lawn there is a risk of ending up with a ‘tenting’ effect. I would strongly advise using the fabrics suggested for this pattern i.e. crepe de chine, charmeuse, rayon, silk etc.
The pattern comes as a pdf printed over 37 pages. It is really important to print out and check the test square on the first page before you print the following 36 just to make sure that your pattern pieces are sized correctly. The pattern itself was easy to cut out and to assemble, all of the pieces fitted together perfectly.
For the most part I found the instructions easy to follow. They are spot on and work perfectly but if any of the methods are new to you (as was the faced yoke for me) you do have to take your time and work step-by-step.
There are a few alterations that I always need to make to any pattern and this was no exception. I am only 5ft 1”, a plus size with short arms and narrow shoulders. So I made the following alterations:
– Removed 1.5” from the arm length
– Removed 1” from the shoulder seams (both on bodice front and yoke back)
– Added an inch to the length of the front and back bodice pieces
I’m really pleased with how the finished blouse turned out and I think it works well for my body shape. There is plenty of room to move but at the same time, it doesn’t feel excessively large.
I would rate this as an intermediate level pattern as there are a few techniques that a complete beginner might find hard to follow. Having said that, if you can set in sleeves and, know how to make buttonholes, work with interfacing etc then you will easily be able to make this blouse.
I would happily recommend this pattern and I’ll definitely be making more versions for myself.
I have written a detailed blog post about how I made my blouse, the ups and the downs over at:
http://www.sewnfromtheheart.com/2016/03/01/the-sarah-shirt