After my first Hot Patterns success, I decided to treat myself to a few of their paper patterns for Christmas, including the Metropolitan Verano blouse and dress (HP 1138) (which is on sale right now...)!
I was attracted to the slouchy but sexy vibe of the pattern and the cool little twist at the front bodice.
The fabric is some herringbone print jersey I bought a while back from the Imagine Gnats shop (affiliate link), originally intending to make another Appleton dress from it. But when I got it, I thought it was a bit lightweight for a negative-ease dress like the Appleton. I thought this insanely soft jersey might lend itself better to a very drapey pattern like the Metropolitan Verano.
I love how the herringbone "stripes" turned into a chevron at the upper bodice. Very cool!
After making this pattern in a jersey, though, I am realizing that it would be possible to make it in a drapey, non-stretch fabric, too, such as rayon challis. It's pretty loose throughout, and, as far as I can see, there are no parts of the blouse that truly require stretch.
Size-wise, I went one size down from my size according to the envelope based on my experience with the Hot Patterns Shirt-tail T, as well as some reviews of the Metropolitan Verano pattern that I read online (see Fabric, Thread, Clothes? and this review). There is still a lot of room and length in the upper front bodice. Perhaps it was designed for a bustier woman than I?
When I sewed this blouse, I used the lightning bolt stitch on my sewing machine and pressed all the seams open. My serger tends not to like very lightweight knits and its been a bit cranky with me lately.
The blouse has a binding on the back neckline and a facing on the front v-neck. I used a bit of stretch interfacing on the front neckline, which helps it keep its shape. We'll see if it pops out when wearing... so far so good.
I decided not to hem the sleeves or the bottom of the blouse. Hemming these light-weight jerseys can be a nightmare and the fabric looked fine with a raw edge. I also left the twist portions unhemmed (you could do a narrow hem on those if your fabric frays).
The back of the blouse is cut in 4 pieces (2 upper and 2 lower), but I don't see why you couldn't cut it in 2 pieces on on the fold. I could stand to lose a bit of length in the upper bodice if I make it again:
The armholes hang a little bit low, so my bra band shows a bit under my arm, but it's not a dealbreaker for me.
On the inside, there is no casing for the elastic waist. The elastic is just sewn directly on inside of the waist seam with a zigzag stitch. You can't see the stitching in my busy print, but might look a little messy in a solid. Also, the elastic is sorta free-floating for a few inches in the area behind the twist, which is a little weird, but not uncomfortable
Final verdict: I like it! A great blouse for super drapey and lightweight knits. I might make a few tweaks next time I make it, but I am pretty happy with it! You know me, I love a blouse that can be dressed up (I'm wearing it here with my Deer and Doe Brume pencil skirt) or paired with jeans.
