Journal - Blouse of tea towels

SEW YOUR OWN BLOUSE OF TEA TOWELS

Guide by our product designer Karen Gregersen

This is another way to use Ib Laursen's tea towels! For this blouse you need 6 tea towels: 2 for the top part and 4 for the ruffled bottom part.

Karen took inspiration from this guide:

https://www.merricksart.com/make-gingham-ruffle-sleeve-top/

"I also took inspiration from a blouse I already own that fits me. We don’t provide a precise pattern that can be printed, but I simply drew up my pattern by hand, tried it on myself, and adjusted. Disclaimer: I'm neither a seamstress nor formally trained in this field. Anyone can make this blouse - it's the first piece of clothing I've ever sewn. I am a size XS/S, so the blouse was sewn according to that", says Karen.

KAREN'S GUIDE:

I started by washing the tea towels to ensure they wouldn't shrink further. Then I unpicked all of them along the seams and ironed them. After that, I cut out all the pieces.

You'll need a cropped top piece for both the front and back, 2 pieces for the neckline (cut as shown; remember to include generous seam allowance), 2 pieces for the ruffled sleeves (about 76 by 16 cm - but measure based on your own arms). For the bottom, use 4 tea towels at full length and about 36 cm in width (you can adjust the length depending on your preference). Make sure to include seam allowances for all pieces.

Step 1. Take the front and back pieces for the top, turn them inside out, and sew them together at the shoulders.

Step 2. Take your neckline pieces and do the same.

Step 3. Attach the neckline to the top, sewing all the way around. Flip the neckline and iron it in place. Add a topstitch. Be careful to have ample seam allowance; I didn’t have enough and encountered some issues.

Step 4. Take the pieces for your ruffled sleeves and hem the edge. Then, sew a gathering stitch on the long side, which will be attached to the top.

Step 5. Pull on the gathering stitch to gather the fabric and create ruffles.

Step 6. Lay out your top on a flat surface with the right side up. Place one of your ruffled sleeves over it and pin them together along the armhole. Sew them together. Repeat with the other sleeve, ensuring you're mindful of the right and wrong sides of the fabric.

Step 7. Once the sleeves are attached, turn the blouse inside out and sew the top together at the sides using a straight stitch.

Step 8. Take your pieces for the bottom and sew them together on the short sides to form a loop. Hem the edges. Next, sew a gathering stitch along the long side, which will be attached to the top. Adjust the length to your preference and hem the edge.

Step 9: With the right sides facing each other, attach the ruffled bottom to the top using a straight stitch.
Finally, sew a button onto the back and add either a buttonhole or a string to close the blouse.

And then you're done!