Minus Sun Blog

Here are the two blouses I’ve made for the same customer. They are made-to-order versions of the Smart Girl’s blouse in calico and in the final design.

This one is almost the same as the calico version but with added elbow patches and in a slightly stiffer calico. The stitch lines are drawn using a fabric pen, no actual embroidery.

This design has cotton crocheted collars and a breast pocket in the shape of the Great Square of Pegasus with dots representing stars and dashed lines joining them. Handmade square resin buttons go with the square theme.

This part is the different from my original. Added elbow patches with lines representing graduation for direction. This design is coming from the Controlling Girl’s shirt dress.

This is the other blouse made in middle weight grey cotton.

The cotton crocheted collar is the same but the buttons are round and smaller.

There are no running stitch on the pocket or at the hem but stars are hand embroidered with sequins and French knots. There is a embroidered girl peeking from the pocket.

close up of the girl

This is the final version of the Smart Girl’s blouse for my “minus the sun, night all day” collection. The calico version is here. I have made the hem and sleeves slightly longer and the cuffs narrower to make it look “smarter”.
I have used a textured stripe cotton fabric in pale blue for the main part and plain pale blue fabric for the breast pocket and cuffs.

The special buttons made for this blouse. Sequins and beads in pale blue are inside the resin. The number of gold sequins inside each button matches the position of each. For example, the second button from the top on the blouse will have two gold sequins. The Smart Girl likes to count, you see. The square shape is perfect to go with the breast pocket’s story mentioned below.

I wore it with my pleated skirt of my high school uniform here but I am planning to make my own pleated skirt to go with the blouse soon.

a close up of the cotton crocheted collar
The ladder lace section matches the running stitch on the breast pocket and the hem.

a close up of the back showing the collar and the inverted pleat below the yoke

The breast pocket is in the shape of the Great Square of Pegasus. There is a sequin and French knots around it at each corner representing the stars. Like the actual stars that makes the square, three of the stars shine in white/blue and one shines in red. Running stitch joins the stars to create the imaginary lines in the night sky. You can see the hand stitched buttonholes in this image as well.

The cuff’s fabric matches the breast pocket.

Hard to notice, but there is a sequin and French knots representing a star at the hem of the left front bodice (opposite to the breast pocket side). The hem is hand finished with running stitch representing the movement of this star.

This is the final version of the Controlling Girl’s shirt dress of “minus the sun, night all day” collection. It is made of navy cotton drill. Threads used for embroidery and stitching are yellow and light grey. I would like to wear it as a dress but it can be worn like a jacket as it is quite tough and oversized. It has a different feel from the light calico version which looks like loungewear.

First of all, have a look at the special buttons I’ve made just for this shirt.
There are 6 buttons for the shirt opening and 2 buttons for the cuffs.
Embroidery, beads, and sequins are applied to calico and then cut out in circles.
Each represents a different planet.
from the left, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
top two are Uranus and Neptune from the left

the finished buttons, the above pieces trapped inside resin

And here they are on the finished shirt dress

I really like how the hem curves at the sides.

breast pocket with embroidery showing the waxing of the moon

flap pocket with star motif embroidery
This pattern is used for the collar and cuffs as well.

layered pocket

the hem finished with blanket stitch

circular elbow patch with stitching representing graduation for direction

the cuffs with green Uranus and blue Neptune buttons
You can see the hand stitched button hole as well.