This blouse is my entry to the #SewAprilBlouse26 challenge over on Instagram… and it is also the first thing I sewed in our new place!
We have temporarily moved from our little two-bed flat in Noe Valley to a smaller flat in Bernal Heights while we renovate our place! It was a bit of a whirlwind to get all our ducks in a row and try to find an affordable place before construction and demolition began, but we could not be luckier where we have ended up — our flat is so light and airy, we are right next to a park, all of our neighbours on the street are lovely, and it is always fun to explore a new neighbourhood in San Francisco! It has meant that my sewing needed to be put on the back burner while we sorted out what needed to come with us, what needed to be put into storage and what needed to be donated.
I did need to put some of my fabric stash into storage, as we are really tight on space. I decided to prioritise bringing the fabric I had recently purchased and bothered to pre-wash with me (sensible!). I decided to dump all my patterns into several big storage boxes and not note down which patterns are in which box (foolish!). Luckily, I managed to extract a few basic sewing patterns, so I could make some quick, easy-to-wear garments once things calmed down.
I have been really inspired by the super romantic blouses that Sézane produces, so when I picked out 1.5 metres of this embroidered cotton voile from Fabric Godmother in the Black Friday sale, I knew it was destined to be a pretty blouse. It is very lightweight and semi-sheer, with a vintage-inspired embroidered tablecloth design. I had some ⅜” pearl shank buttons on hand that I knew would pair beautifully with this fabric. I wanted to sew a simple blouse that would be the perfect blank canvas for this textured fabric.
I was given the Tilly & the Buttons Nell Blouse and Dress pattern for my birthday last year by one of my siblings and I have no idea what took me so long to sew it up! It is a really versatile style, with a loosely-fitted bodice and a V-neckline. There are lots of mix-and-match options in terms of whether you want to sew a straight blouse, a peplum blouse, or a knee-length or midi-length gathered dress, plus four different sleeve options (classic short sleeves, bracelet-length sleeves, flutter sleeves or lined puff sleeves) and a choice between a button-front opening or faux bow ties with hidden snaps. I particularly like the relaxed fit, the proportions of the V-neckline and the tie-front version! Pretty much most light-to medium-weight woven fabrics with a soft drape work with the Nell blouse, like cotton lawn or poplin, linen blends and viscose. I have the exact same pink and red grid cotton lawn in my stash as the pattern cover and I am plotting to shamelessly make an exact copy 😅
I opted to make the straight blouse with the classic short sleeves — keeping it real simple for myself! Depending on the garment, I usually make either a size 3 or 4 in Tilly & the Buttons patterns, but after checking the finished garment measurements for the Nell blouse, I knew there would be ample ease in this design for me to take a size 3. I did my standard 1″ FBA to add an additional 2″ to the bodice and also extended the bodice dart end point by 1½”. I also did my standard ⅜” narrow shoulder adjustment. When I added this project to my Make Nine 2026 plans, I wrote that I wanted to use bridal loops as a fastening instead of regular buttonholes, because I was a bit concerned about how my machine would handle making buttonholes on the uneven, densely embroidered sections. However, when I basted the bridal loop closure in place, I didn’t love how it looked and I decided to unpick it. After doing a couple of regular buttonholes as practice on some scraps, I was relieved that they looked good and were functional!
The sewing process for this was very quick — I always forget how quickly a blouse comes together! I cut the back bodice on the single layer, as I was concerned that the uneven embroidered surface may skew things off-grain when cut on the fold. I did some fussy-cutting to ensure that the horizontal embroidered sections aligned across the centre-front bodice and that the horizontal embroidery aligned with the sleeve hem. I then trimmed the voile away from the embroidery to use it as a finished edge for the sleeve. As I didn’t want multiple layers of the embroidered voile showing through the sheer sections, I decided to use plain cotton voile for my facings and also to make bias tape for hemming the blouse bodice. I also used a narrow 3-thread overlock to finish the seams.
Details!
I always sew a spare button to the seam allowance, just in case!
After all the craziness of moving, it was nice to take a few days to work on this simple blouse and have something so sweet to wear when it was done! I loved sewing the Nell blouse, as the style is really timeless and the instructions were so clearly illustrated and easy to follow (as I have found with all my Tilly & the Buttons makes!). I can’t wait to make another blouse in cotton lawn and then I definitely want to try the dress version in the future 😊
Tilly & the Buttons Nell Blouse and Dress
Size 6 – 34
Full Bust: 30″- 60″
Waist: 24″- 53″
Hips: 33″- 61″
