Excuse me, are you wearing an Ikea curtain?

Question. Would you rather be mistaken for a pregnant lady when you're not? Or would you rather be mistaken for an Ikea curtain?

It's a bit of a conflict for me. I get so upset when I get mistaken for being pregnant because you know what that means - I'm so fat I look pregnant! On the other hand, when I take the train, I want to sleep. Sometimes I can't get a seat. I get offered seats from time to time. Is it because I look pregnant? Clearly being mistaken for a pregnant lady has its benefits. (I hope nobody suggest it's because I look like a senior citizen! I will hunt you down...)

Being mistaken for an Ikea curtain is not so bad, right? Right? I mean there are worse things to be mistaken for. Like someone's bed sheet. Geez. I hope no one uses this Ikea fabric for bed sheets.

Anyway, why am I asking such questions? It'll become clear in a while.

It's been at least 30 years since I made a blouse for a human. I've never really been into making clothes for myself mainly because I usually wear T-shirts and shorts/jeans most of the time. It's not hard to find clothes which fit me in Singapore and at an affordable price. Plus making your own clothes is really not cheap. Well, I could list a few other reasons against making your own clothes. The thing is I recently had a change of mindset. Maybe I was getting a little tired of wearing tees. Or Maybe I want to (secretly) get rid of some of the fabric I had accumulated over the years? Regardless, I started looking for an easy blouse I could sew and wear.

I finally settled on Fancy Tiger Crafts' Sailor Top. What attracted me to this pattern was the neckline/sleeves. Over the years I've often found myself buying such blouses.

OMG. I found this pic in my archives. It's from 2004. I was very thin and wearing a much loved blouse with my favourite neckline/sleeve. I still have the blouse but it has yellowed. This pic was probably taken before we discovered taking photos from below is not a good look.

Here is 2013 Jane, a lot fatter and wearing another blouse in a similar neckline/sleeve.

The sailor top is a beginner pattern. It has no closure. You put on the blouse by pulling it over your head. I was pretty sure I won't have any problems sewing it.

I was right. The sewing together wasn't hard. I did struggle with one thing. I hadn't used my sewing machine for a while and I forgot how to wind the bobbin! Maybe it was because I was drugged on antihistamines and other nose unclogging stuff or maybe I really forgot. I had to look at the diagram on the machine to figure it out! I spent like an hour each time over two days making it. I chose a black on white Ikea print I have lying around. I've actually already used some of this fabric in my home as a cover over some foam which I use as my "ironing board".

And here's the blouse. What do you think? The trouble with photographing clothes is someone else needs to do it for me. Hubs' favourite spot is these "bonsai" trees and as you can see, my natural response was to stiffly hold on to a leaf. I know it's pretty common to take selfies in public nowadays but posing for photos in public is still a very awkward thing for me. I paired the sailor top with Uniqlo black tights.

The design of the sailor top focused on the shoulder, sleeves and neckline. The rest of the blouse is let's face it - shapeless.

The sailor top also has the ability to make a non-pregnant woman look pregnant. I had to suck in my stomach throughout the time I was wearing this blouse. I'm kidding. I'm kidding.

I wasn't afraid to wear this sailor top and risk being mistaken for a pregnant lady because I think I can carry it off. My shoulders are still quite bony and create the illusion of thinness.

It also helped that I made the blouse in size Large so it looked slightly big for me. I wore the sailor top out yesterday and to be honest I was rather afraid someone would should out, "That's my curtain/bed sheet!"

In conclusion, the sailor top is not hard to sew but I don't think someone who is very new to sewing could do it. You still need to have at least decent sewing skills and be able to understand how to cut fabric using the pattern. If you use the PDF version, be prepared to tape a gazillion pieces of paper together! In terms of shape/fit, I don't think the sailor top will look flattering on anyone who is short or pear shaped or has quite a bit of spare type around the tummy. Unless you don't mind looking preggy.