The Norma blouse had been on my "to do list" for a while. I had seen it in the 2020 FibreMood magazine, and Valentine from the Happy as a bee blog finally convinced me with her lovely version. 

When restocking broderie anglaise, I remembered the small coupons from my personal stash waiting for the right project to come out of their dormancy... the combination was perfect; all that was left was to get started! 

So let’s get started on the sewing experience of the pretty Norma blouse! 

The Norma pattern

Norma is a 3/4 sleeve blouse with a front button placket and no collar. The most remarkable feature of this model is its beautiful large puffed sleeves that immediately stand out. The sleeves are gathered at the shoulder and at the cuff to create this lovely effect. The stiffer the fabric you choose, the more pronounced the puff effect will be; keep this in mind when selecting your fabrics. 

This blouse is relatively short and can be worn over pants or skirts. I really like the V-neckline that reveals just a little... but enough to be trendy! The front button placket adds character and will be a source of creativity and originality when choosing buttons!

Practical information for sewing Norma

Norma is a blouse from Fibremood issue no. 9 (2020). It’s available in paper version (full magazine) for €12.5 and PDF for €8.5.
Norma is rated difficulty level 2 out of 5 by Fibremood. It’s perfect for confident beginners starting garment sewing and will be a fun project for more experienced sewers since it doesn’t take much time.  

The Norma blouse is available from size 32 to 58. The bust measurement ranges from 76cm for size 32 to 140cm for size 58, which corresponds to finished garment measurements of 87.25cm bust for size 32 and 151.75cm for size 58. 
The Norma blouse is quite short, about 53cm for the smallest version and only 58cm for the largest version. Feel free to lengthen it if you’re not comfortable with short blouses or if you want to hide your hips.  

In the seamstress's basket

Fibremood recommends all types of fabric; however, this model is designed for non-stretch woven fabrics. As I mentioned earlier, the stiffer the fabric, the more character the sleeves will have. Go for cotton poplin, broderie anglaise, embroidered cottons, wild silk, ... for a version with softer sleeves, opt instead for cotton voile, muslin, viscose poplin, or viscose crepe...

My supplies

To sew my version, I went digging through my personal stash (I feel some people will recognize themselves in this character 😂...). 

Besides, there is a story behind these pretty coupons. For those not interested, skip to the paragraph mentioning "back to my supplies" 😉. For the others, here comes the story. 

I remembered having some small coupons of broderies anglaises in reserve for a few years, bought for testing a sleeveless dress with a small bodice and a full skirt. 

For those who might not know the role of pattern testers, their mission is to:

• sew the pattern provided by the designer in the fabric of your choice;
• test the assembly instructions;
• verify that the instructions regarding materials, cutting layout, pattern pieces, ... are complete and accurate;
• assess whether the proposed techniques and finishes are the best for the pattern;
• check the garment's fit for its size;
• honestly send the necessary improvements back to the designer. 

Note that testers are rarely paid for this work other than by receiving the pattern to test and the corrected version once the tests are finished. It's a small compensation considering the time spent, but contributing to the launch of a pattern remains a great experience. 

For this dress testing, unfortunately, I couldn’t have satisfactory interactions with the designer, for whom this was her first commercial pattern. In fact, it’s the one and only time I decided to stop a testing 🥲 Indeed, the calico toile I made before cutting into my precious coupons had major design issues, requiring many pattern corrections (especially in back width, length, and shoulder slope...). 

That wasn’t a problem in itself since that’s exactly the point of being a tester! But, after giving my feedback, I was also asked to make these major pattern corrections myself... Actually, I felt like the designer was asking me to do her work before sending it to the final testers who would approach the pattern as if they were customers of the brand. 

The situation didn’t suit me, so I preferred to stop the test and keep my coupons bought for the occasion... So, I ended up with a small piece of broderie anglaise decorated with flowers (just enough to make a sleeveless bodice) and a piece of very openwork broderie for a skirt (which had to be lined). 

I thought this little coupon would be perfect to add an embroidered bodice and pretty openwork sleeves to Norma. I’m super happy with how it turned out and to have finally used my little coupons for this purpose! 

Back to my supplies 😊. 

I chose two coupons of broderie anglaise: one embroidered with flowers and a very openwork one for the sleeves.

For the facing and the sleeve cuff, I chose a white cotton voile from the shop. 

I interfaced the facing with white H200 fusible interfacing which I recommend for sewing clothing in poplin or broderie anglaise. 

The buttons are vintage and recycled 😊 so they can have a second life. 

The technical points of the pattern

Norma is rated level 2 out of 5 but still contains quite a few interesting techniques, especially for beginners in sewing. 

The technical points are:

• attaching facings
• making gathers
• attaching the sleeve cuff with gathers
• making the button placket
• making buttonholes and attaching buttons
• making the bottom hem (included in the button placket). 

To help me with making buttonholes and attaching buttons, I use my buttonhole ruler. Before, I used to "have fun" measuring and calculating the distance between buttons based on the size of the buttonholes. Since I started using my ruler, I save a lot of time, and that’s pretty important to me!

My sewing experience

I loved sewing Norma, which for me is a little "relaxing" sewing project after big pieces like jeans and shirts. That doesn't take away from the model or its appeal. 

I found the gathering and sleeve cuff assembly very interesting, especially for those who want to learn these techniques. 

The hem assembly is also interesting with its inclusion in the button placket.   

Finally, I must say I was surprised by the thickness of the red embroideries on my corsage coupon, both for cutting into the flowers and for sewing them... so be careful if you choose broderie anglaise embroidered with large motifs; it will be slightly more difficult than with finer embroideries. 

For a future version, I will lengthen Norma by 3 to 5 cm so that it is slightly more covering and easier to wear tucked into jeans or a skirt. 

There you go, you know everything about the Norma blouse and its pretty broderie anglaise. 

All that's left to do! Get your needles ready!