Self drafted peasant blouse - Part 1

Have you ever loved a piece of clothing so much that you can't bear to part with it? My most recent experience like this has been a peasant blouse. I've worn it to the point that it has holes and stains. If my mum saw me in it, she would send me back into my room to change (thanks Mum!). Rather than bin it, I decided to take it apart to see how it was made and maybe recreate it. I was philosophical about the "loss" of the top. I couldn't wear it in public anymore and it would be worth it if I could cut a pattern. So I gave it a go.

The blouse was slightly a-line raglan style with full length sleeves. The neckline and wrists were gathered. And the wrists slashed and bound with bias. The closures were a small button on elastic, nifty! There was a 2" slash at the centre front that was bound with bias. My favourite feature was the neckline which used a narrow faced neck as casing for a tie, which had great metal beads at the ends to stop the tie pulling through and also made the ties hang when done up.

Before I hacked it apart at the seams I took a moment to plan the process and it was worth it.

1. Make some space - no one was allowed near enough to move/lose anything
2. Set aside some time - the fewer sittings required, the less likely you are to lose or forget something
3. Keep notes - how wide was the bias on the wrists? How long was it? How much was the neckline gathered in? How wide were the seam allowances? Where is the grain line?
4. Mark pieces as they come off - was this the back or front?
5. Look for symmetry - could the front and back be cut on the fold?
6. Think about the reconstruction process - how will this all go together again?

Then came the moment of no return. I used small but sharp scissors to cut the seams apart. This was messy. Lots of little bits of thread.

The pieces were as follows:

• Front (gathered at the neck, cut on the fold with a 2" slit at centre bound with bias binding)
• Back also on fold and gathered at the neck
• Arms - not quite symmetric but gathered at both the neck and wrists - also bias binding on a 2" slit at the wrists
• Three interfaced casing neck pieces - one across the back and two for the front between the shoulders and the neck slit
• Pull ties to thread though the neck and tie together

I measured all the gathers before I pulled them out. I should also mention that the fabric had a stripe woven into it so grain line was easy. I measured all the seam allowances as well. I marked each piece (1 to 7) and then drew up diagrams of them with grain line, gathers, the slits, the seam allowances. Anything I could think of really. Any construction points (eg bind the neck slit before attaching the casing) were also noted.

Next steps: find some cool fabric and think about pattern placement.