Let me introduce to you our newest model – my Mom! I can’t believe that this is my Mom’s first time modelling for Thread Theory! My Dad is such an old hand at modelling now that we can whip off a photo shoot with him in mere minutes. He casually cycles through a variety of poses without prompting as Matt snaps the shutter – just like a professional model! Now, with our first women’s pattern up on our site, it’s my Mom’s time to shine!
I recently sewed a nautical themed Camas Blouse for her in a lovely soft stretch cotton from Blackbird Fabrics. The tiny anchor motif is very subtle and so the blouse has a professional pin stripe and polka dot appearance from a distance. I completed the anchor theme by using gold and navy shank buttons decked out with small anchors.
Since stretch cotton does not have the weight and drape best suited to this pattern, I decided to replace all the gathers with a series of pleats. By ironing these pleats flat, I hoped they would encourage the fabric to sit smoothly against the body. While I like how the two small front pleats worked out, I wish I had done an inverted box pleat for the back of the blouse. Even with the help of ironing (which a trip to the marina completely eradicated!), my mom finds the back pleats billow a little too much so I think this blouse would look best tucked into trousers or a pencil skirt.
I keep suggesting to my mom that the blouse would look really cute with a thin belt circled around the waist – maybe a skinny red belt for a pop of color? As it is though (un-tucked and untamed), it makes a lovely semi-dressy top that pairs well with my mom’s blazers and cardigans for work. I like how she wears it with the navy blue tank top underneath for modesty (the white cotton is a touch transparent).
Have you considered sewing the Camas in a woven fabric? I’ve been spotting quite a few woven versions, many with no spandex content at all, popping up on Instagram and blogs. Here are a few to inspire you!
Sources: 1. El ropero de mi tia 2. Neues vom Sonnenfels 3. New Model Lamé