Ballad Blouse Peplum Hack

I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about a hack before! I absolutely went to town on the Ballad Blouse for this peplum hack with shirred sleeves. It was actually the easiest hack ever and looks like it took a lot more effort than it really did. The fabric inspired me and I literally just winged it and ended up with this beauty! The bright bold colours just screamed at me and I knew I wanted a cute little summery top. Nothing says Summer like shirring! Shirring is totally trending right now and I am 150% here for it! It really takes me back to my childhood and I just think it’s super cute!

So if for some weird reason, you haven’t heard of the Ballad Blouse yet. She is your perfect Spring/Summer Blouse pattern. Choose between shirring or gathering and various sleeve options. The Ballad is a flowy blouse with lots of ease through the waist and hips and it features a button placket that doesn’t need functional buttons… yay! I just sewed my buttons through the placket on the first version and did the same for this one. Offered in sizes XS to 5X, this is a must have pattern!

So how did I go from that to this? I promise it is really super easy! I used the shorten/lengthen line at the waist notch as my guide and added 1.5″ for ‘blousiness’. Chopped the pattern at that new line and straightened the side seam a bit (my original version was graded out to XL so I just straightened to a straight L). I then used the shirring template for the front shoulder as my guide for my peplum piece. It was the perfect length I needed so I just adjusted the width to match my waist measurement. I did ten lines of shirring and left the extra to frill out into the cutest peplum everrrr! Make sure to watch my Youtube video to see the full tutorial step by step so you can follow along.

Shirring the sleeves took zero effort. I kid you not! I used the short sleeve piece and left off the cuff. There was more than enough ease in the bicep so I didn’t need to slash and spread or anything before shirring. Left 1/2″ for the hem and 3/4″ for the little frill and then did four lines of shirring. After the iron did it’s shrinking magic, I sewed up the side seams and hemmed my 1/2″. Then set in my sleeve as normal and bam, totally new sleeves just like that! I didn’t need to alter the sleeve pattern at all which made me so happy! All of this is covered in my Youtube video so you can get the actual visual.

Can you believe this fabric is 100% cotton? I would use fabric with a lot more drape for the regular flowy blouse but for this shirred peplum hack, I feel like all fabric types are welcomed! This is a perfect opportunity to use up those fabrics with less drape! I find 100% cottons always come in the cutest prints! This tie dye looking orange, yellow and pink really stood out to me. I grabbed it off the shelf in 0.00 seconds! I just love how it looks on my skin tone and I am definitely heading back to the fabric store TODAY to pick up the other colourways. I can’t help myself.. this little top just blew me away!

I am sooo proud of this hack. Like I said earlier… I can’t think of another hack that excited me this much. Hubby loves it just as much as I do which makes it even more fulfilling. I know my version looks super young; of course you can adjust your waist length and shirring lines to suit your own body and personal style. The combination of this length and print really took me back to my younger days. Even my hairstyle made me look like a teenager here. It was refreshing to be honest! If you want to try this hack, I have amazing news… the Ballad Blouse pattern is still on sale for $3 off until May 16th! If you try my hack, make sure to tag me on Instagram.. I can’t wait to see what you make!

Toodle-loo

Keira