VFT Lavinia Blouse & Skirt

Wow! It's been a long time since I last posted on my own blog! While I've been busy writing and posting for all my contributor positions lately, I have neglected my own site. It's time to change that, don't you think?

I have sewn so many things lately--lots of pants, skirts, dresses, zipper pouches, and notebooks--so it's time I start sharing a few of these projects and (hopefully) some new tutorials with you soon. I appreciate your patience!

One of my favorite projects from the end of last year is this lovely blouse and skirt set using the Violette Field Threads Lavinia pattern. Ella wore this ensemble to her piano recital and played beautifully. As you can see, I had edited photos and intended to post them around Christmas time! Better late than never!

The Lavinia blouse has a vintage feel to it because of the large, tied bow, the subtly gathered sleeve cap, and the gathered sleeve cuff. In fact I'm pretty sure I wore a similarly styled blouse in my kindergarten picture from the "olden days" as my nephew would say! While I love the styling of this shirt, Ella was a little annoyed by the bow, and I haven't convinced her to wear the blouse again since the recital. I had hoped she would wear this top to school some, but it may just be a special occasion outfit afterall.

I sewed the blouse in a size 8 with the long sleeve option using white cotton pique. Apparently, I didn't read the fit guide closely enough and the size 8 is almost too snug across the chest while the sleeve and overall shirt length are great. The Lavinia doesn't have as much ease as some of the other VFT blouse patterns. While the shirt fits well now, I doubt she'll be able to wear it next year. I loved sewing with the pique fabric and have since purchased more for future projects.

Doesn't Ella look pretty and so grown up?

The Lavinia skirt is a pretty simple design called a paper bag skirt, and the pattern calls for it to be fully lined making it reversible. Two cutting options are provided in the pattern to sew a Full Skirt or a Slim Skirt. I chose to sew the Full Skirt option without a lining (my own modification and not an option included in the pattern) in a size 8 which fit perfectly. Instead, I cut a separate piece to create the waistband and then simply hemmed the bottom. Using 2" elastic as the pattern specifies definitely helps keep the skirt in place and the blouse tucked in!

The Full Skirt version has lots of volume giving it maxium twirl effect. I think Ella will wear the skirt more often than the blouse with a basic t-shirt or turtleneck top. Maybe I'll sew her another Lavinia blouse but alter the collar to have a smaller bow or no bow at all.

Hope you all had a happy holiday season filled with lots of lasting memories. Happy new year, and have FUN sewing!