The next item which I made for the Victorian ensemble for the Dickens Fair was the Truly Victorian 441 – 1861 Garibaldi Blouse. This was probably the easiest and most straight forward piece of the ensemble that I made. I was fortunate that Jill had already made hers (technically twice, since she made a muslin that was too big and then had to make a second one that was the correct size). Since I knew her measurements and I knew mine, no muslin was needed. Which was a good thing because at this point, I was getting a bit tight on time and really wasn’t relishing making two of these. That being said, it’s a good pattern and I will definitely make another one.
I used a cream colored cotton sateen from JoAnn’s. It was actually pretty perfect. Easy to work with, soft, natural fiber but looked clean. Sewed up quite nicely.
I had just gotten my new Bernini 770 which has all these fun stitches on it that I decided to take it for a run. I was using an eggplant colored thread since my skirt was eggplant colored. I used the roses on the color and had to go for a simple on down the placket since otherwise it would have been too much.
But on the cuffs and hem, I took the opportunity to use the PIG STITCH. Yes, you read that correctly. THERE IS A PIG STITCH ON MY MACHINE. If I hadn’t already thought this was the world’s awesomest machine, this would have clinched the victory.
As mentioned, the skirt and thread were eggplant and I was fortunate to have two lovely eggplant buttons (actually left over from another project that has since been abandoned because it was started so long ago that the fabric and style aren’t even in fashion any more. Sigh.).
Here’s how it looks together. I love having the roses on both the cuffs and collar to tie it together.
And of course, I needed to hem the shirt. Why not use the straight “ground” of the pig stitch to tack it down and give me another excuse to hide some piggies on my shirt. There is a distinct possibility that I will be using this stitch A LOT.
