The Rhapsody Blouse

Pattern - Love Notions' Rhapsody Blouse
Skill Rating - Intermediate
Fabric - Rayon from Fabricland
Skills - French seams, bias tape making, burrito method for yokes.
Pattern links and videos - Bias binding, burrito method for yokes, hemming with a narrow hemming foot.

When Tami Meyer announced that she was going to test with a woven blouse, I knew I wanted that pattern and lucky for me I was chosen to be a tester!  I wanted a loose woven blouse for the summer heat and the design that Tami posted looked perfect.  But as a staunch member of the "Bat Wing Brigade" I had to have sleeves! Now if there's one thing that Love Notions patterns have, it's lots of options and that usually means lots of sleeve choices.  The Rhapsody Blouse has 8 - sleeveless, cap, short, flutter, 3/4, 3/4 with flare, bishop and trumpet - you certainly get your money's worth with a Love Notions pattern!

I chose the 3/4 sleeve which has a cuff.  The body and sleeves are nice and loose, which is perfect for hot weather - and my "experienced" body! The lines of this garment are flattering with the curved hemline and gathering at the front where it meets the yoke.

There is a nice, wide pleat at the back under the yoke - lots of room!  The burrito method used for attaching the yoke gives you clean tidy seams inside the blouse.

One of the things that really sets this blouse apart from the pack is the french seams!  The instructions in the pattern are very clear and easy to follow - and as usual with Love Notions patterns, there are videos to help you with techniques that you might not be familiar with.

The side and sleeve seams are french seams, which results in a very tidy professional look on the inside of the blouse.  As Tami says in the introduction - the inside looks as nice as the outside.

The other new thing with this pattern is the bias binding.  The pattern recommends you not use bought binding because it's made from quilting cotton.  It's actually not hard at all to make your own and Tami includes a link on page 5 of the instructions to how you can make your own from a square of your fabric.  1.25" strips made perfect double-fold bias tape for my 12mm tape maker.

My daughter-in-law was really taken with the cap-sleeve version of this pattern and so I thought I'd try out a wider bias tape on it.

The pattern says you can also use a 3/4" tape maker, but I didn't have that at the time, so I used my 25mm maker.  A 14" square gave me more than enough 1/2" double fold bias tape which was easier to make and apply on this XS size.  This would be an excellent alternative for anyone who is nervous of the narrow tape.

There are a number of new skills for a lot of us with this pattern, but the directions are clear and the videos and bias tape link are huge helps.  The variety of sleeve lengths has something for everyone, the loose bodice is perfect for summer and sizes run from XS to XXXL.  Don't let the new skills make you hesitate with this wonderful pattern.  It's one that you will love and you'll definitely want to make more!

And here's where you can get it - Love Notions' Rhapsody Blouse