{"id":84540,"date":"2026-06-08T10:49:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T14:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/?p=84540"},"modified":"2026-06-08T11:29:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:29:14","slug":"kirans-many-norwood-blouses-and-dresses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2026\/06\/kirans-many-norwood-blouses-and-dresses.html","title":{"rendered":"kiran&#8217;s many norwood blouses (and dresses!)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div>\n<p>It&#8217;s a pleasure to welcome one of our long-time testers to the blog today. Kiran lives in Singapore and regularly sews for herself and for her children. I asked her to talk about a few of the many <a href=\"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/shop\/norwood-blouse-sewing-pattern.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Norwood<\/a> blouses and dresses she&#8217;s sewn for herself (she&#8217;s made eight already!) since she received the pattern for testing. So here she is, and I hope her ideas will help to inspire you as well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 *\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 *\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 *\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 *<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div>\n<p class=\"x_p3\"><span class=\"x_s2\" data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Just a few months ago, my brother-in-law celebrated his 30th birthday. To mark the event, he declared a special dress code, and looking at my wardrobe, I realized only at the last minute that I did not have a blouse that would suit the colour theme. Lucky for me, I had my <a href=\"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/shop\/norwood-blouse-sewing-pattern.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Norwood Blouse<\/a> pattern in easy reach and a hearty stash of suitable fabrics. An hour and a half later, I had a blouse that was custom-made to fit me and that fell into the colour theme as well. I felt so pleased with myself.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div>\n<p class=\"x_p3\"><span class=\"x_s2\">The beauty about the Norwood Blouse pattern is that it boasts intricate details and clean lines all at the same time. While the pattern looks simple, one can achieve outstanding results by playing with fabric and textures. The best part for me is that with the pattern ready, you can have a brand new blouse in no time at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div>\n<p class=\"x_p3\"><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-blouse-01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-84541 size-large\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-blouse-01-760x568.jpg\" alt=\"Kiran's Norwood sewing\" width=\"760\" height=\"568\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-blouse-01-760x568.jpg 760w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-blouse-01-500x374.jpg 500w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-blouse-01-768x574.jpg 768w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-blouse-01-1240x649.jpg 1240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"x_p3\"><span class=\"x_s2\">From the time the Norwood was in testing until now, I have counted about eight Norwood tops in different fabrics, view options as well as hacks. Owing to the immense heat of my home country, Singapore, one of my favorite hacks of this pattern is to just leave the sleeves off and finish the edges with bias tape.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"x_p3\"><span class=\"x_s2\">Amongst the various versions I have sewn, the denim one with the pretty border has got to be the star. It is made with an ultralight weight denim (much like a cotton lawn) and a lace-like border. Perfect paired with a pair of tights or leggings for a casual afternoon out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-dress.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-84543 size-large\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-dress-760x692.jpg\" alt=\"Kiran's Norwood sewing\" width=\"760\" height=\"692\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-dress-760x692.jpg 760w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-dress-500x455.jpg 500w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-dress-768x699.jpg 768w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-dress-1240x649.jpg 1240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 *\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 *\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 *\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 *<\/p>\n<p>Thanks, Kiran! And although she didn&#8217;t mention it, I wanted to show you this terrific version she made as well, where she turned the facing to the outside and used a contrast fabric for both the facing and for the sleeve trim. Terrific, isn&#8217;t it? I just love it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-blouse-02.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-84542 size-large\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-blouse-02-760x529.jpg\" alt=\"Kiran's Norwood sewing\" width=\"760\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-blouse-02-760x529.jpg 760w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-blouse-02-500x348.jpg 500w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-blouse-02-768x535.jpg 768w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-blouse-02-1240x649.jpg 1240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;d like to try this style for yourself, the Norwood Blouse + Dress sewing pattern is available both <a href=\"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/shop\/norwood-blouse-sewing-pattern.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in paper<\/a> and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/shop\/digital-norwood-blouse-sewing-pattern.html#tab-blog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">digital formats<\/a>. You can read more about it <a href=\"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2026\/04\/introducing-the-norwood-blouse-sewing-pattern.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2026\/05\/styling-and-fabric-inspiration-for-the-norwood-top-tunic.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2026\/05\/norwood-blouses-from-our-testers.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>, and I have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/liesl\/liesl-%2B-co-norwood-blouse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pinterest folder<\/a> dedicated to it as well. Happy sewing!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kiran has sewn eight (!) Norwood blouses and dresses for herself, and she&#8217;s here to show off a few of them and to talk about why she likes this pattern so much. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":84544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20687],"tags":[20970],"class_list":["post-84540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-norwood"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kiran-norwood-feature.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5jZS5-lZy","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":84459,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2026\/05\/norwood-blouses-from-our-testers.html","url_meta":{"origin":84540,"position":0},"title":"norwood blouses from our testers","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"May 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Take a look at how our testers sewed the Norwood Blouse! And this week only we have a special offer for you if you buy all three of our new spring patterns. Keep reading for details.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/norwood-test-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":84326,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2026\/05\/styling-and-fabric-inspiration-for-the-norwood-top-tunic.html","url_meta":{"origin":84540,"position":1},"title":"styling and fabric inspiration for the Norwood Top + Tunic","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"May 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Norwood Top + Tunic is a versatile top that can be sewn in a variety of fabrics for multiple looks. Here are some inspiration and some fabric suggestions to get you started.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/norwood-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":84283,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2026\/04\/introducing-the-norwood-blouse-sewing-pattern.html","url_meta":{"origin":84540,"position":2},"title":"introducing the norwood blouse sewing pattern","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"April 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Introducing our new Norwood Blouse sewing pattern. Simple and a bit minimalist in its styling, it's easy to sew and extremely versatile.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/norwood-feature-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":82460,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2024\/04\/our-testers-positano-blouses-dresses.html","url_meta":{"origin":84540,"position":3},"title":"our testers&#8217; positano blouses + dresses","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"April 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Some examples of how our testers sewed the new Positano Blouse + Dress sewing pattern. So many great fabrics! (And shoes too!)","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/positano-testers-feature-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":83093,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2024\/11\/some-of-our-testers-photos-of-the-new-patterns.html","url_meta":{"origin":84540,"position":4},"title":"some of our testers&#8217; photos of the new patterns","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"November 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A quick post featuring some of our testers' versions of the newest patterns, with apologies to the other testers who I missed in my haste! Didn't they all do a wonderful job?","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/testers-fall-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":69873,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2019\/06\/winter-and-summer-rush-hour-blouses.html","url_meta":{"origin":84540,"position":5},"title":"winter and summer rush hour blouses","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"June 6, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"As part of our Advisors Circle, Erica is here to share her winter and summer Liesl + Co. Rush Hour Blouses that she made for herself.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/erushhourbF.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84540"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84547,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84540\/revisions\/84547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}