Hello sweet friends, happy Fashion Friday. This Fabulous 50s Blouse With Balloon Sleeves has been on my must make list for awhile now and I am so happy to finally be wearing it!
Some of you may recall when I made this Wiener Dog Wonderland circle skirt a few years ago. At the time I paired it with a simple sweater but envisioned how cute it would look with a true 1950s style blouse.
The Pattern
I had purchased the Wearing History 1950s Harriet drop shoulder blouse E pattern soon after it was released. I loved both the view A and B styles.
For those who are unfamiliar with the E pattern term: an E pattern is sent to your email with a PDF attached. You download the pattern pdf, print it out and then put the pattern pieces together like a puzzle.
The pattern has an intermediate rating. I agree as the drop shoulder is a bit tricky to sew. However, Lauren the owner has a YouTube video of the process which is quite helpful.
Fabulous 50s Blouse With Balloon Sleeves
I chose to make view B with the Peter Pan collar option.
The vintage fabric had been a gift from my friend Dartanyan. It was the same fabric that I had made my 1860s Garibaldi blouse from which interestingly enough is also a dropped sleeve style.
The only pattern adjustment I made was removing the two front waist darts. I needed the extra bit of fabric for my pear shape. As I have no plans to wear the blouse untucked it is not noticeable.
I adore the dreamy drop sleeves.
The happy red buttons are a vintage estate sale find.
I paired the ensemble with Grandma Mary’s vintage red clip-on earrings and leather ballet flats.
I’ll see you on Sunday,
Laura
I’ve always loved puffy-sleeved blouses — the do cover up a multitude of sins! This is darling and of course it looks even cuter on you!
Your blouse is so cute and well-suited to the skirt, which is adorable, by the way.
I received news last week that Morty, my nephew’s dachshund died at 20 years of age. Isn’t that old for a dog? He was a sweet fellow.
The perfect blouse to wear with your skirt! Can’t go wrong with puffy sleeves & red checked gingham!
I love puffy sleeves. Your blouse is so cute.
I was quite a seamstress back in the fifties, even though I was just a teenager. If I saw something I liked, I made it. I was shocked when I looked for a pattern lately at Hobby Lobby and saw that it was $20.00. Is there any place you can buy patterns for less?
An amazing outfit, Laura. It is true, whether it should be or not, that those women wearing dresses or skirts are treated more politely. I was thinking about this just yesterday. I drove to Menard’s. I went to buy builder’s sand and a sheet of drywall. I was wearing blue jeans with bits of plaster on them, a sweatshirt and had a scarf tied on my head to keep plaster dust out of my hair. The sand was in 50 lb. bags. I had a hard time (almost impossible) getting them into my car. I was thinking that if I had worn a dress, someone might have helped me. I once had a high school administrator whose wife only wore 1950s style dresses – everyday. I noticed that she was treated like a lady. People held doors open for her, etc. I need to test this theory myself. Love the dachshund pattern instead of the expected poodle pattern and I would wear that cool blouse with jeans, too.