Ganni Wild

uniquelycommoncrafts,

If you saw the first part of my Ganni Wild post, you would know that I was about to embark on a self-drafting journey toward making a particular very popular and very expensive blouse originally made by Ganni.

You will have also read some of my inspiration for making it. I originally wanted to make the blouse a little longer, perhaps more sheer, and maybe with a slightly wider neckline.

Overall, I succeeded in making my version of the blouse some 3-5″ longer and the neckline about 1″ lower. It did not end up being sheer, but I was still very satisfied for how my first ever blouse turned out.

I still think it was a HUGE achievement for having made a few modifications from the original reference and still having it look like I bought it from a store.

Let me show you how I did it. I included some tips and lessons I learned along the way. Note that this is NOT a tutorial, just my process. Hopefully, what I did can help you if you are trying to self draft your own blouse.

The Materials

I kept it very simple. I used an old white bedsheet as the fabric. It can’t get freer than that.

I also used:

  • My Singer sewing machine (hand sewing would be fine too)
  • A pair of fabric sheers
  • Pins
  • Measuring tape
  • The template from my favorite t-shirt

Other materials I used but are not necessary are: a fabric marker, and iron, and an ironing board.

The Process

Before I started, I found it very helpful to do some visualization of how I wanted the top to look personally.

Here, I tried to visualize where I wanted the blouse to end and how much of the collarbone I wanted the neckline to show. I also played around a bit with how much I wanted the sleeves to puff and how much I wanted the bottom to ruffle.

Then, I mainly followed a tutorial by The Essentials Club. She provides really simple formulas to follow so you can better personalize the fit of the clothes you make from her tutorials. And that’s exactly what I did.

Making the Body

I think the most important part of getting started on any sewing project is ensuring the templates that you are cutting from are just the way you want it.

I took Maddy’s recommendation from her tutorial and adjusted from the fit of my favorite t-shirt to made the bodice. It’s hard to see here, but there are light purple marks on the sheet of paper below, which was an outline of the front and back panels of my favorite t-shirt. Over that are darker black dash lines (seam allowance) and solid lines (where to sew) of the new blouse.

This was exactly where I made the calculations and adjustments that I would (hopefully) see in the end result. For the front panel, I lowered the neckline by 1″. I actually widened the armholes as well by about 1.5″ for a looser fit in the armpits.

My favorite t-shirt is pretty fitted. Since I wanted my blouse to be a looser fit, I actually added about 1.5″ in width on the fold for the back panel. Consequently, I added 1.5″ in width for the front panel as well, plus 1″ for the front hemline. (Just watch the original tutorial, it will all make sense!)

An important thing to note here is how I decided where to end the bodice and where to start the ruffle. I think it’s just brilliant to pull a template from your favorite t-shirt before starting any self drafting project, because you know very well exactly how it will fit, even when you shorten or lengthen it.

For a more relaxed and comfortable fit, I knew I wanted the blouse to end around my bellybutton and the rest of the length of the blouse would be from the ruffled edge.

It’s always a leap of faith once the fabric is cut. But that’s part of the thrill of sewing, too. Onwards to the next step.

Making the Sleeves

In short, I directly followed the YouTube tutorial to make the puff portion in the shoulders as well as the elastic binding. The only thing I did differently was that I didn’t cut the bottom edge of the sleeves at a slight angle, I just kept them straight to make it easier. What ended up happening was that the sleeves slightly tapered up over my elbows wearing it rather than staying straight like a “normal” blouse would. It honestly doesn’t bother me too much.

One thing I recommend is lining up your folded sleeve within the bodice (right sides facing) and pinning it in place before sewing. I think it generally makes sewing sleeves to a bodice much easier.

With the sleeve inside the bodice, and the right sides facing, you can sew around the armhole indicated by the red dash lines.

After sewing, here’s how the top was looking so far. The puff sleeves puffed just right.

You might notice a slight slant upward where the sleeve hovers over my elbow. This was because I didn’t taper the bottom edge. I don’t mind it much.

Making the Front Ties

I did stick with the 2″ x 15″ recommendation made by Maddy and they ended up perfect. Surprisingly, my tiny seam ripper worked just fine as the “stick thing” to help invert the 15″ long ties. I wouldn’t do this on any fabric that wasn’t thinner than a cheap bedsheet, though.

It was VERY satisfying to iron out every front tie before top stitching. Having an iron is optional, though.

Making the Ruffled Bottom

Apparently, the general rule of thumb for ruffle volume calculations is this:

1.5x the length of the attaching fabric for an “OK” ruffle

2x the length of the attaching fabric for “Extra” ruffle

And anything more than that is “crazytown” ruffle.

Because I couldn’t make up my mind between just an “OK” ruffle and that “extra” look, I went for the middle ground and cut 1.75x the length of the attaching fabric. It turned out just fine!

Yes, you can baste by hand. It would just be more time consuming than if you did it with a sewing machine. I’ve since learned that basting parallel lines make for MUCH more stable ruffles than if you baste just once.

The basting stitches are indicated by the red dash lines. When you make two parallel basting stitches, the ruffles are better defined because they stay in place better.

Final Details

The final details were placing the front ties evenly and folding over the neckline for topstitching. The first was pretty easy. The latter was nerve wrecking.

Front tie placement was as simple as trying on the top and having pins handy to place the ties where I wanted them. I ensured the ties were exactly the same height and distance apart once I laid the bodice down flat on the table.

I pinned the ties roughly where I wanted them when trying it on. Afterward, I laid the bodice flat and adjusted the ties on one side so that they were perfectly lined up with the other side (indicated by red dash lines and red x’s).

As for top stitching the neckline, there was no part of the process that felt like I was doing it right. The fabric felt like it didn’t want to fold at a curve the entire time. However, I’m here to tell you it turned out just fine in spite of that. Lots and lots of pins are helpful here.

The End Result

You’ll notice even on the hanger that the sleeves taper upward a lot instead of sitting straight. And the ruffles are just right for my preference!
I trusted the process. The neck hem turned out fine.

As a final note, I didn’t mention it anywhere before, but I bought an XXL button down on clearance for this project. However, I ended up being so satisfied from the white bedsheet blouse, that I decided this would do better as a different upcycled project. So I guess you’ll be hearing about it in the near future!

Till next time, xo.

Note that am not affiliated with any of the brands or organizations mentioned in this post.

Sewing

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