I cannot believe that Christmas is less than two weeks away! Where has the year gone?! I have so many sewing projects on my to-do list that I’m glad that I’ve finally crossed another one off. The Henriette blouse is a pintucked, romantic blouse from Ready to Sew. I’ve loved the look of pintucks for as long as I can remember, but I was always too intimidated to sew them myself. When I first saw this pattern, the silhouette looked simple enough that I mustered up the courage to try it, and I’m glad I did. Turns out, with a bit of preplanning and basic math, pintucks aren’t scary at all!
I paired this pattern with a classic striped cotton chambray from Minerva. The pattern recommends solid fabric to show off the pintucks, but I think the combination of the simple stripe with the pintucks is stunning! If you’re interested in trying out this pattern, I would suggest purchasing now. This pattern, along with the other 9 patterns release in 2025, is available for 20% off on the Ready to Sew website. The offer is valid until Sunday, December 14 at midnight (French time), so check them out!
The name of the fabric I used for this project is a little wordy – Minerva Core Range Stripe Yarn Dyed Cotton Chambray Fabric in Plum – but this simple fabric was a dream to sew with. This medium-weight 100% cotton fabric is perfect for year-round wear, whether you’re rocking it in the office or slipping it on for a night on the town. I chose the plum stripes because it’s a twist on the classic navy and blue stripes, but it’s not crazy enough to pull too much focus. The stripes are woven into the fabric instead of printed on, so there’s no need to worry about the design fading over time.
I’ve only made a few Ready to Sew patterns, but I always love the final result. For this Henriette, I mainly stuck to the instructions, and the only tweak I made was to lengthen to blouse by 3.5 inches. I think more of a tunic length is more flattering and versatile for me, but the original length works well too. The pattern instructions made pintucking the front of the blouse so easy! The pattern has two versions – version 1 with a simple banded collar and matching cuffs and version 2 with a scalloped embroidered lace trim at the neckline and cuffs. I chose version 1 for my first make, but I can definitely see making version 2 in the future. Who knows – I might even hack this pattern into something totally different (wink wink)!
