Marigold Peplum Blouse

Several months ago, I made my daughter this beautiful blouse--the Figgy's Ayashe Blouse--that has a mandarin collar and a back yoke that wraps over the shoulders and ties in to the front with subtle gathers. When I finished hers, I said, "I want one!" Low and behold, a few days later, Blank Slate Patterns released the Marigold Pattern  (affiliate links) that includes all those same details as my daughter's blouse! I was ecstatic! I couldn't wait to make my own Marigold Peplum Blouse!

The Marigold Pattern provides a big bang for your buck! This pattern offers all these options: Dress, Blouse with Peplum, Blouse with Hi-Lo Hem, Skirt with or without Pockets, Sash, and Cap Sleeve or Long Sleeve. You could could almost make an entire wardrobe with just this one pattern!

For my Marigold blouse, this lovely piece of voile designed by Lisette had been begging me for a while to turn it into a beautiful dress for my daughter or perhaps a top for myself. I had roughly 2 1/4 yards of it which isn't quite enough to make the long-sleeved peplum Marigold, but I was determined to have a "make it work" moment and finally use this soft, pretty fabric.

And I did! I opted to cut the sleeves to a 3/4 length with a straight hem and no sleeve cuff which was fine with me since sewing sleeve cuffs is not my favorite thing to sew! Essentially, I let the amount of fabric I had determine the length of the sleeves, but I would say they are a good 5 to 6 inches shorter than the long sleeves. This worked out well so that now I can wear my new Marigold blouse pretty much year round by layering it with a sweater or jacket during cooler months and wearing it on its own during warmer months.

The instructions for constructing the mandarin collar as well as the button placket were thorough and easy to follow. I think you could easily just sew the placket pieces together for about 2/3 of the length and avoid having to make any buttonholes. Maybe I'll give that a try on my next one.

The fit of the blouse is very comfortable. It was debatable as to whether or not I needed to do a full bust adjustment (FBA), but I chose not to this go around. The pattern includes all the instructions to make a FBA, and I might just try it with my next blouse to see if I notice a difference in the fit.

I agree with the pattern difficulty rating of intermediate since it does have some features that might be challenging to an inexperienced sewer. However, the Marigold Pattern can help you learn new techniques and sewing tips that will definitely improve your knowledge of sewing and hopefully your confidence too.

Now, I'm ready to look through my fabric stash for more fabric that would be perfect for a Marigold Cap Sleeve Hi-Lo Hem Blouse. If I can't find anything, I guess I'll just have to go fabric shopping!

Buy your own copy of the Marigold Pattern in the Blank Slate Patterns Shop today and make something new for you!

Have FUN sewing!