Dressing Downton: Edith's and Sybil's How did that get there? Blouse

My latest Dressing Downton project has been to reproduce this lovely blouse worn by Sybil:

And Edith:

   

I used a lovely watercolor print for the main fabric and a lavender fabric for the cuff and collar detail.

I took my styling cue from Edith and paired it with a high waisted black pencil skirt. This was partially because it was a bit short to wear with pants but also because the shape was horribly unflattering when untucked.

Can you say boxy? So not flattering on my body shape. Tucking in is a must!

I drafted this from Colette Pattern's Sorbetto and Butterick 5559 (sleeves). I also drafted the contrast pieces. I saved myself from any facing/hemming by sewing the contrast on right side of contrast to wrong side of fabric and then flipping it to the outside. I pressed the seam allowance on the other edge of the contrast so all I had to do was press the sewn seam and slip stitch the floppy edge down. Easy and pretty.

I suspect this blouse would have been more flattering with underarm gussets so there wouldn't be so much fabric hanging around. I think I'll end up taking in the sides of the blouse near the waist to give a more flattering shape. It won't be as true to the original but that's ok with me.