Simplicity 8131 is, by far, my favorite pattern this year. I have made three blouses with this pattern. One of the blouses happens to be my favorite “made by me” item of all time. It’s a pink, polka dot long sleeve blouse with a bow.
At the time that I made it, I was looking to make a blouse with a bow and that’s what Simplicity 8131 is all about. For this pink and polka dotty bow blouse, I chose view F but with the sleeves of view A. I used a crepe de chine fabric that I bought from Fabric.com. I love the pink and I love the polka dots. I love the big bow and how the fabric flows. This pattern and this fabric go perfectly together. I just made it earlier this month and I’ve already worn it three times. That’s how much I like it. The only part I don’t like is how tight I made the elastic on the sleeves. It’s something that I will be cognizant of the next time I sew this pattern.
I also made a yellow blouse using view E with the sleeves of view A. I used a yellow challis fabric that is a bit sheer. I like the skinny bow but I prefer the bigger bow. I haven’t worn this blouse yet because of the sheerness of the fabric.
I also made the sleeveless version which was actually my first attempt at this pattern. I used a crepe de chine fabric. I used view B. I’ve worn it a couple times already with a black short sleeved cardigan and jeans.
The great part about this pattern is the numerous options available to sew. There are 3 sleeves available as well as a sleeveless version. There are three bows available. There is even a close fitting version and a loose fitting version. Basically, the pattern gives you 6 different views but even more options if you change the views around. If you hack the pattern, there is an option to leave the bow out.
This was a fun pattern to sew, mostly because of the bow. The pattern is easy to follow. The blouse is very versatile. I know that I’ll be using this pattern again. I plan to make view E with the short sleeves and without the bow.
Happy sewing!
Adventures of Sweet Monday 