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

Olympia - seen from my "mature" eyes!

Pattern – Love Notions’ Olympia

Fabric – rayon/spandex and Barcelona from Fabricland

Skill - Finding the right fabric and pattern

The Love Notions’ new Olympia dress is definitely one of the simplest and most pleasing dresses I’ve seen in a long time.  Knee length and maxi length plus 5 sleeve lengths from sleeveless to long give plenty of choice. 

I was of two minds on whether or not to take part in the testing. It’s a gorgeous dress, but being a woman of “a certain age”, I wasn’t sure I could carry it off!  I weighed up my options:  the dress is fairly fitted in the bodice and waist but flares away attractively.  The neckline is a deep vee, but that also takes the attention away from my neck.  And at the back, do you notice how it stands up in a sort of abbreviated shawl collar?  So clever!

Elbow length could be the perfect length for my upper arms.   And I thought that if I chose the right fabric, this dress could work for me – so I applied to test and was accepted.

One thing you can count on with Love Notions patterns – they are very well tested!  Our designer, Tami Meyer, came out with no less than 9 versions and several small updates for testing!  Love Notions gets things right!  And they certainly did with this dress. There are separate bodices for various sewing cup sizes as well as lines to lengthen and shorten both the bodice and skirt.  There's even advice for cutting the length of the bodice based on the fabric you use for the skirt.  Not only that, there are instructions for installing a zipper to make life easier for nursing moms!  Love Notions has covered it all!

So what did I come up with to help me carry off this dress?  First of all, fabric is important!  The suggested fabric requirement is for: “Light to medium weights knits with at least 25% stretch such as jersey/rayon blends, ITY, cotton/lycra, liverpool and ponte.”   I wanted a natural fibre and while I love cotton/spandex (or Lycra) I wanted something with a little more drape.  Fabrics like Ponte de Roma are substantial knits and I thought they’d be a bit too structured for what I had in mind.

My first attempt was with a burgundy-coloured bamboo/spandex.  The fabric had excellent drape, but I decided that the solid colour didn’t do my less-than-firm body any favours!  All that aside, I loved the dress!  Choose the right fabric for me and we have a winner!

For my next try, I used a rayon/spandex with a tie-dye pattern in black and pewter blue.  And this time I think it worked.  This was Version 3 of the dress and it fit me quite well.  Tami’s instructions for the collar were excellent and there is now a video in the Love Notions Tutorial section that totally demystifies the procedure.

With time running out, I decided to give the latest version a go – this time with a Barcelona (I know – synthetic, right?) which had a patchy snakeskin pattern in black,  white and a hint of blue, following along in the theme of avoiding solid colour.  I added 2” to the skirt length as I no longer like my knees showing!  I’m really pleased with the result and now have at least two dresses that I feel proud of wearing.  Not only that, but I’ll be comfortable in them, too!

So my conclusion for the woman “of a certain age” is that fabric is key.  Use a fabric with lots of drape.  You don’t want the material that hugs you! And choose a fabric with a pattern that will help disguise small irregularities that you would rather keep to yourself! 

But the final conclusion is that this is a pattern that we can all love and we can all wear.   And until Saturday, April 1st, you can get the Love Notions’ Olympia on sale for only $8 - no Fooling!  Click on the link to get your copy - you won't regret it!

Love Notions' Olympia