This is the old HotPatterns Peasant Blouse, not the new Refined Peasant Blouse. I watched the tutorial for the new one, though, and found it very helpful. It often referenced what must have been customer complaints about this one so I was aware of some of the issues.
This is my wearable muslin, made from a very fine French cotton lawn I got from Emma One Sock.
I may wear it to church today. I think I will also wear it for work-at-home days all summer and put it under jackets in the future, on days when I feel that I can get away with an exuberant floral.
This is one of my problems about completing SWAPs: I make a wearable muslin and wear it in spite of its wonkiness, and never get around to making the real garment. So I am planning to cut another today and fix all my errors.
There are a lot of errors to fix. The pattern is simple, and it is my own fault that I sewed it together wrong and had to take it apart and start again. Except that there are no notches (the new version has them), so it’s hard to tell which piece of filmy fabric you’re holding. I will cut notches into the pattern for the second one.
The front, back, and sleeves, all sewn together , are gathered and attached to the neck band pretty much the same way the Sunshine Top is, and I had just as much trouble getting that done correctly, plus the extra challenge of using a woven rather than a knit. The new Refined Peasant Blouse is done differently. The neck band is sewn to the gathered body of the blouse rather than into it, and I have seen this in RTW blouses. It seems less refined, but the HotPatterns tutorial said that it just didn’t work the other way, and I certainly didn’t end up with a lovely smooth yoke. Or even a symmetrical one. So I guess I will try it the other way.
There are options for the sleeves, but I cut 3/4 sleeves and gathered them into a band.
The fabric feels weightless, but is not completely sheer. I’ll wear it over a cami and feel cool and comfortable, I am sure.
I am also sure that a more skillful seamstress would find this pattern easy. I might, too, the second time around. There will be a second time, though, because this blouse has the comfort and charm of a peasant blouse without too much of the milkmaid look.