debbie’s geneva peplum

Debbie from the Advisors Circle took one of Liesl’s inspiration looks for the Geneva V-Neck Blouse and ran with it. Here she is to talk about how she modified the pattern to make a peplum blouse.

Hi everyone! I love both versions of the Geneva V-Neck Blouse and was excited to have a chance to make one. I recently fell in love with some Birch Organics lawn and thought it would be perfect for the long sleeve version for fall.

Even though I love the pattern, I dress very casually and wasn’t interested in a blouse that needed to be tucked in. While trying to decide how to handle the hem, I took another look at Liesl’s inspirations, especially the version with the ruffle peplum. After some encouragement from Liesl, I decided that would be a perfect style for me.

I measured between 4 and 6 for this pattern, and I decided to start with a 6 since I wanted this to be an easy-fitting blouse. I made a muslin in the straight 6 (with no sleeves). The muslin fit well, but I debated about doing a forward shoulder adjustment. It was really hard to check the fit by myself; I should have gotten someone else to take a look. In the end, I decided not to make that adjustment. Looking at the pictures now, I think I’ll do that on the next blouse.

I decided to start the peplum, which is about seven inches long, at high hip. I doubled the width for the peplum; it’s very similar to the Gelato Blouse. I decided to make the full button placket, but it would also work to stop the placket at the peplum since it’s pretty generous sizing. Since I didn’t include the sleeves in the muslin, I made those with no adjustment.

This was my first time working with lawn fabric, and I had not considered how light and breezy it would be. I still love this version of the blouse, but it’s not going to get much wear until spring. I can’t wait to sew another in flannel, without the peplum. I’ll also lengthen the sleeves a few inches as well.

I’m still learning how to custom fit patterns. I should have included the sleeves in the muslin to check the length, but I am gaining confidence in making pattern changes and adjustments. I would love to try again with a deeper, less full peplum. This is also a great beginner pattern! The instructions are very straightforward, and it’s beginner-friendly with no collar and cuffs. I see several of these in my future!