Latest Design: Couture Vintage Bow Blouse

We draft our own patterns in studio, but recently we have fallen in love with vintage and retro sewing patterns.  Today we're showing off our latest vintage pattern make- couture bow blouse. This was made using a vintage pattern from the 1950's. By the way, anytime we work with a vintage pattern, we ONLY use hand sewn techniques. 

Project Specs

• 1.2 M of hand woven ikat cotton from Maiwa supply shop.
• 0.2 M of ivory silk organza for interfacing.
• Half a spool each of yellow, blue and orange thread for thread marking and basting.

• 1 spool of grey cotton thread.
• 6 Small metal snaps.
• Over 45 hours of hand sewing over the span of 5 months.​​

Design Elements

​Full couture sewing techniques applied to this design. No sewing machines involved, all done by hand!

Snap Closures

Snaps are quick and clean to apply.  Here are a few tips when hand sewing snaps onto your next garment.

1. If there are a series of snaps, position each one in the same manner. EX: Position the holes, North- East- South- West.
2. Depending on snap color, match your thread color to the snap or the garment color.
3. For visual balance maintain the same amount of stitches per snap hole. For each snap there is typically 4 holes to be hand stitched. If your working with your thread double threaded and working with small snaps, 4-5 stitches works best.

Couture Thread Markings

Apply thread marking around each pattern piece and important landmarks like notches, darts, pleats, tucks, button holes, etc prior to cutting out the fabric. This will create absolute accuracy while stitching up the garment. Use a 1-2" seam allowance, and trim down as you work with each seam accordingly.

Couture Seam Finishes

False French seam finishes were used to clean up all the seams in this design. If you do not know what a 'False' or 'Faux' French seam finish is, check out our step by step blog post about it HERE. This type of French seam finish is great to use in couture designs where you always want to work with the right sides of the fabric facing each other. 

Bow Tie Collar

The dearest detail on this design would be the front bow tie closure. It is such a creative detail to extend out from a collar. You cannot see it but silk organza was catch stitched in between the collar layers to add structure to this area. 

Final Design

Several vintage tops from the 1950's did not have set in sleeves such as this one. BUT, they would still use creative seams either in the front or back to decrease excess bulk around the armhole area. In this particular design you can see a front inset seam. 

What would you wear with this top? We are thinking a pair of high-waisted wide leg denim jeans would look so pretty. Let us know your thoughts below.

Sign up for private couture hand sewing lessons with us today. Just click on our CONTACT page. We look forward to having you in studio.

Happy Sewing!
Designed, photographed and written by Sheila Wong Studios.