Working Backward From Ready-to-Wear
Working backward from ready-to-wear inspiration is an excellent way to ensure you’ll actually love and wear the finished piece. Since most home sewists aren't practicing fashion designers, using a finished garment as a roadmap eliminates the stress of pairing the right fabrics, determining the fit, and selecting design details.
Watch the full-length video HERE!
Jonnie's folder of make inspiration
Whether you already have a camera roll full of saved looks or you are just starting one, keep a physical or digital mood board of outfits handy to reference whenever you need a creative push. If you are naturally drawn to a specific look, replicating its elements practically guarantees the final garment will align with your personal style. These reference photos are especially helpful if you struggle with fabric shopping; they allow you to study and mimic the drape and weight of the textiles used in the finished example. By keeping your inspiration image handy throughout the sewing process, using it to guide fitting decisions like where a hem should fall, you create a foolproof path to a beautifully finished garment.
The Bumper Blouse Sewing Pattern
We developed and released this shirt sewing pattern in 2022 as a companion to the Bumper Jumper. This top has a relaxed, boxy silhouette with no darts or set-in sleeves, which removes a lot of the fuss with fitting. It features self-faced sleeves, a notch collar, and beautiful mitered corners along the side slits. The hemline has a slight high-low profile, where the back sits slightly longer than the front.
The full Bumper Blouse sewing tutorial is available HERE!
Fabric Recommendations: The pattern is highly versatile and works with a wide variety of woven fabrics depending on the look you want to achieve:
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For a flowy, blousy look: Use lightweight wovens like cotton lawn, poplin, chambray, or Tencel.
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For more structure: Use mid-weight fabrics like linen, mid-weight cottons, or, of course, lightweight denim.
Fabric and Materials
The original inspiration image for this project features a top made from a light-to-midweight denim. To replicate this, we chose an 8 oz washed denim from Merchant & Mills. It provides just the right amount of structure to achieve that utilitarian look, without feeling too stiff or sacrificing comfort.
Pattern Adjustments
-Extend the sleeves an additional 5” (12.5 cm) from the cut line. The finished hem will be 3” (7.5 cm) with a ½” (1.5 cm) SA.
-Draw a straight line along the side seams, eliminating the side vents.
-Extend the front hem an additional 5” (12.5 cm) from the cut line. The finished hem will be 3” (7.5 cm) with a ½” (1.5 cm) SA.
-Extend the back hem an additional 4” (10.2 cm) from the cut line. This will make the front and back hems even with one another.
-Extend the hem of the front facing an additional 5” from the cut line. The finished hem will be 3” (7.5 cm) with a ½” (1.5 cm).
-The dimensions for the pocket piece is 5 ½” (14 cm) wide x 6 ½” (16.8 cm) long. The finished pocket will be 5” (12.5 cm) x 5” (12.5 cm) .
-Use the original collar and back facings pieces with no adjustments.
-Completely eliminate the sleeve facing.
Assembly
The original Bumper Blouse sewing tutorial has all the steps for assembling this pattern and the video of this version demonstrates some slight differences. Here are some highlights:
Watch the patch pocket get pre-pressed with a template made from card stock paper.
Topstitching and bartacking are the key design elements for this look. Watch this bartacking tutorial to learn more about achieving it on a home sewing machine.
