I’m sure you are all familiar with Thread Theory by now. Even though they have a clear menswear focus, they decided to throw us ladies a bone and put out a women’s blouse pattern! Since my name is in the tester pool, Morgan and Matt asked for some willing participants to sew up the Camas Blouse (from the finished pattern, I did not test it prior to release) and post about it. My hand shot up pretty quickly, as this is undoubtedly a pattern I would have purchased anyway. You all know I love a good button-up, and I’ve always had a weakness for the “V-necked with little gathers” variety.
This blouse is designed for knit fabrics, and I used a rayon jersey I picked up from fabric.com on their black Friday sale (pretty sure it sold out). I had this blouse in mind when I ordered it, so I was super pleased that it was the exact weight and drape that I wanted. That doesn’t usually happen! Then I searched my scraps for a coordinating contrast fabric, and came up with leftovers from a recently made (though not yet blogged…) dress. It’s actually not a perfect match, but the floral has so many shades of blue that it just kinda goes together. The blouse is loose fitting, so it wasn’t a problem to mix a woven fabric in for the yoke pieces.
I picked a size 8 based on my bust measurement, then graded out at the waist and hip by 1/4″ (1″ all around). I was in between the 8 and 10 for my waist and hip, so I wanted to make sure it didn’t end up too clingy. The sizing was perfect, and I’m very pleased with the fit!
Aside from size adjustments, I made a few tweaks to the pattern.
- Added 1″ in length to the hem—I’m high waisted, but also tall-ish, so I just tacked on length instead of splitting it at the “shorten/lengthen” line.
- In the back—I took 1″ off the bottom of the yoke, and added the inch to the top of the back piece. Visually, I prefer a narrow yoke, and since I was using a woven for the yoke, I wanted to make sure I didn’t end up with it being too tight across the back.
- Neckline—I raised the neckline by 1″. I have a high bust and quite often run into the problem of unintentionally plunging necklines.
Altering the neckline was a little tricky to do since I had to make sure the neckband and blouse front would match around the V-neck curve. Since I was only raising it by an inch I didn’t alter the yoke piece any, just changed the angle from the yoke seam and down. If I were to raise it any further, I’d have to start the adjustment higher.
Construction was pretty much a breeze, until I got to the button placket, which was very tedious. I suppose it was the wide (5/8″) SA’s that made things tricky. Trying to sew opposing curves between the button placket and blouse front with a wide SA is just a frustrating (and often inaccurate) experience. I did make sure to stay stitch and clip the most extreme curves, but next time around I’ll narrow the SA to begin with. Because the finished placket is so narrow, you have to aggressively trim down and grade the SA’s anyways.
I do like how the inner placket isn’t turned under, but simply left as is, more like a facing. Then, instead of top stitching the placket, I stitched in the ditch at the placket seam line, catching the facing. When I finished the inner edge of the placket on my serger (before stitching it down), i trimmed off about 1/4″ to keep the facing nice and narrow.
Lastly, this pattern suggests interfacing the yoke pieces as well as both outer and inner placket. I skipped interfacing the yoke pieces since I was using a woven, and I skipped interfacing the inner placket to keep the placket from becoming too stiff. So, all I bothered to fuse was the outer button placket piece. This worked out just fine for my fabric, but you’ll want to evaluate how much interfacing to use based on your own fabric choices.
I did make functioning buttonholes, even though they are totally unnecessary, as the blouse slips easily over my head. Fortunately my otherwise unremarkable sewing machine does not put up a fuss when it’s time to make buttonholes, even in knit fabrics!
Overall, I am truly, honestly in love with this pattern. It was fun to construct a knit blouse that ends up both comfortable and a little more dressed up than your average tee. I know this will quickly become a staple in my wardrobe!
—lisa g.
*This pattern was a freebie in exchange for a blog post*
Your blouse looks great and I love the contrasting fabrics!
Love it! Camas is in my to-sew pile. I think it would work great for the office.
Can’t wait to see yours! It would definitely be a great office-wear blouse.
Wow, that’s beautiful! The knit must drape so beautifully off the woven, what a wonderful idea!
It really does! Initially I was worried about using a woven, but given that it’s a good idea to have something stable for the yoke, it worked out great. Thank you!
This is great. I love the fabrics you’ve chosen.
Thank you for your hard work. From the photo, even with your adjustments,it seems that the front styling will show your entire bust when you lean over. Are you finding that to be true? I have a problem with patterns that look fine when I am standing straight and tall but less attractive when I am moving around.
I generally avoid bending over when wearing a low cut V-neck, but yes I imagine there would be a bit of flashing! It would look nice layered with a lace edged camisole or, if you’re feeling up to it, you could raise the neckline by quite a bit.
This looks really cute and comfortable! I wasn’t sold on this pattern when it initially came out, but it’s great to see how it looks on a variety of different people. I love your version, especially with the floral contrast. I agree with Katie – it’s perfect for office wear.
Pretty! It looks nice and comfy, too.
LOVE this pattern, and your version is great! May have to try it out sometime!
Adorable! This pattern is quickly jumping to the top of my sewing list. Would look so pretty with lace on the yokes too!
Wow this fits you perfectly. Love that contrast woven!
This looks fantastic on you Lisa!! I love that colour! I was wondering how it would work with a woven yoke. This blouse is in my queue of things to make so I am happy to read your review.
This is such a great top. I love the yokes and the scope this gives to spice up a lovely staple.
Love it. I bought it when it was on sale the other day. Can’t wait to make it up. It’s all the things I love in a top.
Something about knit blouses seem incredibly difficult to me; yours looks very effortless and beautifully sewn!
Lovely, the fabric colours really work well. I was also thinking of the neckline possibly being too low, so it’s good to see you’ve done it & it looks good. I really want to get going on mine now!
This top is so you. I just love it!
Very nice! It really looks like a dressy Tee!
It turned out so nice! I’m glad the fabric weight was perfect for this project. It looks great!
This is such a cute blouse! I love the patterned yoke!
Lovely!! I got started on this but then Christmas & work took over. Really must make it up – looks lovely & confortable, a winning combination!
I am not familiar with the pattern but it is so cute on you and is definitely going on my list!
I should have known you make this as soon as possible – I already bought the pattern and am now trying to find appropriate matching fabrics… But now I want to make it more than ever! Thanks for your insights on sizing, interfacing, and the SA problem!
It looks lovely on you Lisa, and I think you’ve shown that the pattern would work beautifully as a cardigan too 🙂
I really like this pattern as an upgrade from a “basic tee”. A nice wool jersey office wear or a cotton jersey relaxing at home. Morgan is doing a fantastic job with her classics. You did (as usual) an inspiring job. I really love a v-neck with a lace trimmed camisole underneath. Casual, comfortable with a little luxury !!!
This is really pretty! Gotta love a dressed up knit top, comfy and a little bit fancy the perfect combo 😉
This looks so neat! I’m very impressed with how nice your button placket is! Fab!