Am I the only one still using Pinterest? I’m constantly looking at Pinterest for fashion inspiration and travel planning help (less than 90 days until Thailand!), and once you get rid of all the annoying AI posts, it can be a really great resource. While perusing recently, I came across a beautifully sheer Georgette blouse with ruffled sleeves. It was such a fun twist on your basic button up blouse – I had to make one. Lately, my go-to pattern for button-up tops has been the Butano Button-up from Friday Pattern Company. It’s a quick sew with a loose fit, so it’s perfect for hacking. Instead of using a basic Georgette, I made a serious upgrade and used Silk Crepe De Chine fabric from Minerva for this blouse. The end result is chic but funky, and it looks great with jeans or the faux leather pencil skirt I’m wearing.
This Silk Crepe De Chine is a luxurious lightweight fabric made from 100% silk. It may seem like an odd autumn fabric choice, but it’s perfect for layering and holds its shape well. This is so important when you’re in and out of coats and jackets all day – you need a fabric that can look fresh and wrinkle-free throughout the day. The design on this printed on demand fabric is called Expressive Whimsy. It’s a Minerva exclusive design that’s super fun and reminds me of designs I’ve seen on African mudcloth. Since it’s a silk, make sure to use extra sharp, new needles. If you’re sewing buttonholes like me, invest in some fray check. It will keep your buttonholes from fraying with continued use.
Since I’ve already reviewed the Butano, I’ll skip that and just tell you how I achieved these fun ruffled cuffs. There are a ton of ways to do this, so don’t think my way is the only way. Experiment and decide what you like best. For this blouse, I cut the pieces for the long sleeve short as normal, except for the following:
- I skipped the sleeve placket and the interfacing for the sleeve cuff
- I lengthened the sleeve cuff to match the width of the end of the long sleeve
- I cut four sleeve cuffs instead of two to serve as outer and inner cuffs
To make the ruffled cuffs, I sewed one cuff to the end of the long sleeve RST (right sides together). Then I sewed a strip of ¼ inch elastic to the seam allowance. I took another cuff, folded and pressed the 3/8” seam allowance on the long edge to the wrong side of the fabric. With RST and matching the raw edges, I sewed this folded cuff to the sleeved cuff, making sure to only sew the three raw edges. Then I flipped the folded cuff to the inside, wrong sides together. I made sure the cuff fold covered the elastic strip, and then I sewed all four layers together (the folded cuff edge, elastic, outside cuff edge, and sleeve edge). Keep in mind that this was done before sewing the underarm seams together, which made it much easier.
