The Anna Blouse Sew Along ~ Choosing fabric for your Anna

Welcome to the first installment of the
Anna Blouse Sew Along
Today I will discuss fabric choices.
The Anna Blouse is fitted through the top in the shoulders, sleeve, and armhole area.
It has a slight A-Line Shape which makes it perfect for drapier and light weight fabrics.

~ Choosing Fabrics

(Fabric top center moving clockwise: Dotted Swiss from Fabric.com, Cherry Cotton Lawn from Girl Charlee Fabrics, Small Buds Cotton voile from Drygoods Design, Camera Cotton Voile from Kokka Fabrics, Floral Cotton Voile from YuwaFabrics. Center: Robert Kaufmann Chambray light from Hawthorne Threads)

I would recommend using lighter weight fabrics such as Cotton Lawn or Voile. Other Light Weight cottons such as Chambray or Dotted Swiss would also work well in this style.

(Fabrics Top center moving clockwise: Rayon Challis from Fabric.com, Horse Print in Silk Crepe from Drygood Design, Floral Tulip Rayon challis from Harts Fabrics, Diamond Rayon Challis Frock Rayon from Cotton Steel)

Rayon Challis and light weight silks such as Silk Crepe or light weight silks in a plain or twill weave are another good choice. Silk Charmeuse would give this blouse a dressy look.
Light weight Polyester fabrics will also work but are more of a challenge sew. If you choose a polyester or poly blend use a sewing machine needle that is designed for sewing these types of fabrics. Schmetz Microtex (Sharp) Needles work well on polyester fabric.
If you are new to garment sewing, I would start by using a Light Weight Cotton Fabric which is much easier to sew with than Rayon or Silk.

Cottons and Voiles tend to be sheer especially if the background is cream or white. The first Anna I made was in this gorgeous Palos Verdes Cloud 9 print. I happened to find a perfect salmon colored tank to wear with it. Be sure to keep this in mind when picking out your fabric.

~ Online Fabric Stores My favorite way to purchase fabric for garments is at my local fabric store. It is best to see the fabric and feel the weight and drape in person. If you do not have a local fabric store that carries apparel fabric, there are some great on-line options. Here are some of my favorite online fabric stores for apparel fabric: Harts Fabric, Hawthorne Threads. Mood Fabrics, Drygoods Design, Imagine Gnats and Fabric.com. You can order sample swatches from Harts Fabric, Mood Fabrics and Fabric.com which is a great option to make sure you like the weight, color, scale of the print and quality of the fabric before investing $ in yardage.

Cotton Lawn and Voiles will give the blouse a crisper look but still has a nice drape.
This a Cotton Voile from Kokka Fabrics.
See how the fabric sits away from the dress form? It is not at all clingy.

The tucks at the front also sew up nicely in this type of fabric.
If you are new to sewing narrow binding, cotton lawn or voile are easy to sew and take a crease nicely.

This blouse was made with Rayon From the new Frock Rayon Collection from Cotton Steel.

This version has a drapier look and feel and is a bit more fluid than a light weight cotton.


~Preparing your fabric
Be sure to prepare you fabric before cutting out the pattern. Treat the fabric in the same way you will treat the garment. If you plan on washing and drying in a washing machine and dryer, launder the fabric the same way. I like to serge or zig zag the raw edges to prevent them from fraying.
Stop by tomorrow and we will discuss the Supplies you need for your Anna!
xo Charise