Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Contributor Post: 14 Blouse Patterns for Girl's School Uniforms

Hi, everyone!  I'm Veronica from the blog, sewVery, where I share pattern reviews, outfits I sew my seven-year-old daughter, free tutorials, as well as purses and other sewing and crafty projects that I put together. I can't go a day without thinking of my next sewing project! I've been a contributor to other blogs such as Andrea's Notebook and the Betz White Blog, and I currently write for Blank Slate Patterns and Craftsy. Most recently, my Cart/Stroller Caddy design was published in the book, “On the Go Bags”, co-authored by Lindsay Conner and Janelle MacKay. I'm excited to be a part of this new venture here at Project Run & Play, and I hope that you discover something new in each of my posts! 

Does your daughter attend a school with a uniform dress code? Mine does, and I get so bored with seeing the same shirt on every, single little girl in her school--a navy, white, or baby pink polo style shirt. Her school dress code is actually not so strict, but most people buy what's available locally at discount stores and department stores which don't offer a wide variety of colors or styles when it comes to uniform wear. Lucky for my daughter that she has a mom who loves to sew!

Ella's school dress code simply requires that girls wear a solid colored collared shirt. I make a sincere effort to sew most of her school clothes, so I'm always on the hunt for a new blouse or shirt pattern with a collar and for solid colored apparel fabrics. Variety in her wardrobe is a good thing!


Below you'll find 14 great blouse patterns to sew for girl's school uniforms. As you will see, I've actually sewn many of these myself, and I own all but maybe two or three. Now that Spring is here, it's time I try out a some of those patterns I haven't sewn yet.


1. Molly Schoolgirl Blouse by Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop
Sizes 3 months - 8 years

The Molly Schoolgirl Blouse has been one of mine and Ella's favorite school tops. It's sewn in a soft, light purple cotton seersucker fabric and features gathered sleeves with a wide banded hem as well as a Peter Pan style collar. This pattern was simple to sew and has a nice amount of ease around the chest making it a very comfortable shirt to wear for an active 1st grader.



Sizes 3 months - 12 years

You definitely can't go wrong with this traditional polo style shirt. The Poppy Polo includes the sweet gathered sleeve that make this shirt perfect for a girl. 


Sizes 6m-4 and 5-12

Although the photo below is directly from the O+S pattern site, I've sewn this blouse up for Ella in the long sleeve version using a high quality blue cotton oxford cloth. I added accents to the underside of the collar and the backside of the placket using a pretty floral cotton. The Music Class Blouse has so many wonderful details like pleats, yoke, rounded collar or mandarin collar, short sleeves or long sleeves as well as sleeve cuffs with a button placket. This blouse is definitely on my "sew again" list for the Spring. To view my version of the Music Class Blouse, click HERE.



Sizes 18 months - 8/9 years

The Ayashe Blouse pattern is by far one of my favorite girl's shirt patterns of all time! I'm sad, though, because the one Ella is wearing below is in the pattern's largest size. I may be doing some self-drafted upsizing to this pattern in an attempt to sew her a new Ayashe for next year. The one below is sewn in an embroidered white cotton. Because the embroidery (large circles) aren't really very noticeable, Ella is able to wear this to school since it is a solid white blouse with a mandarin style collar! 

To see more of this Ayashe Blouse and the rest of of Ella's outfit that I created for the Signature Style Sew-Along during Season 10 of PR&P, click HERE



Sizes 18 months - 8

Ella doesn't always want to wear a woven cotton blouse, so she asked me to make her a knit polo style shirt in a color of her choice. Of course she wanted pink, but we at least were able to find this interlock in a shade different from what everyone else normally wears. The Perfect Polo pattern has some slightly different design features (like a saddle shoulder and sewn collar) from a store-bought polo making it visually more interesting as well as more fun to sew. This is Ella's go-to top on days she has PE or takes tennis lessons after school. To read more about this version of the Perfect Polo I made, click HERE.




Sizes 18 months - 8

Looking for a new twist on a classic button-up style shirt. Then the Bookworm Button-Up is for you! This pattern is full of options and details (like the bow pocket and the sleeve cuff and tab) that definitely makes this shirt stand out in the crowd. 

For the Bookworm Button-Up shown, I repurposed a men's dress shirt and was able to reuse the shirt placket! To see more photos of this top, click over to my post HERE.



Sizes 18 month - 8

This Tee x 3 with a Peter Pan collar is one of the latest school tops I've sewn for Ella. Again, I recycled a men's large knit mock turtleneck shirt to create this girl's long-sleeved shirt. To add a bit of color and a feminine touch, I machine embroidered a decorative design along the outer edge of the collar. Overall, this shirt was a very quick-sew project that I'll definitely be sewing again with short sleeves. 



Sizes 2 - 10

I recently sewed a dress version of the Emma Top and can't wait to try the blouse version next. The Emma Top offers sweet, classic feminine details like pintucks, a rounded collar, and a slightly gathered sleeve cap. You are also given the option of making the back of the shirt straight or slightly fuller with a gathered back bodice. The fun twist to this design is that the button placket and collar are slightly offset from center. Add piping to the collar edge in a contrasting color to make the asymmetrical feature really stand out.



Sizes 2 - 10

The Josephine Blouse pattern is full of dainty details that make this top a must-have for any girl's school wardrobe. The pattern offers long or flutter sleeves, a tailored collar, pintucks, and a ruffled placket. 


Sizes 2 - 10

What sets this blouse apart from other tops with Peter Pan collars are the sleeve options. Sew the Gemma using the flutter sleeves shown below or a traditional sleeve with a vintage-inspired cuff. I'll definitely be sewing the flutter sleeve option when I try this pattern out later this Spring.


Sizes 2 - 10

The Lavinia blouse is slightly different than any other blouse I've shared. Most obvious is the gorgeous bow, but the three rows of shirring at the wrist on the sleeve provide the perfect ruffled cuff. I sewed this blouse using a white cotton pique which has become one of my favorite new fabrics for girl's blouses!


Sizes 12 months - 8

The Jane Top is a classic girl's top with modern, fun features like an optional rounded collar and front gather detail. This simple A-line style blouse pattern offers both short and long sleeves and has a roomy fit perfect for a busy day at school. 


Sizes 1 - 6

If you prefer traditional paper patterns, then you love these last two patterns from the Children's Corner Patterns. The Kitty pattern includes this classic girl's blouse which provides instructions for adding piping to the rounded Peter Pan collar as well as the sleeve hem using professional finishes. There are no gathers on this sleeve, making it an easy assembly. 


Sizes 5 - 8

The Campbell top pattern includes sleeve options suitable for both a boy and a girl. Although I think a girl could wear either option shown, the elbow length sleeve with the tiny ruffled edge definitely adds a touch of femininity to this shirt. The pointed collar is the perfect vintage touch to this traditional overall look.



Hope you found this list of girl's blouse patterns useful! If you have other go-to school uniform shirt patterns that you like to use, please mention it in a comment below! 

Have FUN sewing!

~ Veronica from sewVery

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2 comments :

  1. I've never sewn a school uniform, but you should really check the Charlie pattern by Zonen09! It's designed for knit fabrics and has a collar too, a bit like the perfect polo pattern but more stulish ;-) AND it goes up to size 14yo!

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