A peasant blouse in Scotland

When I was packing for our holiday in Scotland I kept a close eye on the BBC weather forecast. When rain, more rain and 16 C was predicted I quickly unpacked all skirts and dresses and added more jeans, long sleeved tops and cardigans. The weather forecast didn't bother us, it's always part of the experience when visiting Scotland!
A few days before we left I found some time to finish a peasant blouse, made from a patterned viscose fabric bought earlier this summer. The pattern I used was Knipmode KM1405-26.

The fabric is very lightweight, doesn't wrinkle and can be folded into a tiny square, win-win-win when packing for a flight! I used French seams, added a center front seam (had to, because of the print error in the fabric) and changed the keyhole opening into a triangle.

There was no time to make a muslin, not to mention the questionable use of doing so from an economic point of view, given my fabric cost a whopping 2 euro.

Not my best look ever for a variety of reasons. Too much length above the waist, too much width at shoulders/upper bust/raglan and an overall look, as mr Foxgloves described it, 'like those sack garments you see in sewing books for beginners'. Thank you very much dear, I already noticed.

Something else I have to learn is to look at patterned fabric from a distance. In close-up the fabric is black, white and yellow. I even noticed happy little birds when I was sewing (too) late at night. When I look at the pictures I see a print that's too small for my frame, and a rather dull grey-ish shade.
Enough with the nagging!
I'm sure you all know the benefits of a large garment with an elastic waist when on holiday!

See? When in Rome....After a visit to St Andrews we had fish&chips by the seaside. And onion rings, just because we could. If we had stayed in Scotland any longer that blouse would actually fit me.

We had a wonderful time! Driving left, but not too left, was a challenge. As always. Once we got the hang of it we visited The Trossachs, Loch Lomond, Stirling, Edinburgh, The Highlands and the West Coast. We had bacon, eggs and haggis for breakfast, fresh salmon for lunch, draught cider and ale in the pub and tasted whisky in distilleries. We watched baby seals, climbed castle towers and met a lot of very friendly people.
Talking about friendly people: my Scottish sewing friends on Instagram provided me with a list of fabric shops in Edinburgh and Glasgow. A list I'll keep for future use, as we were running out of time in Edinburgh and did not visit Glasgow this time around. Thanks again, girls, much appreciated!

As close as got to fabric: Tartan weaving in Edinburgh

No fabric, but I did bring the next best thing: patterns! Butterick 4281 (Oxfam, 30p), a sewing magazine with free Simplicity K1418 and of course I could not leave without a lambswool scarf. In plaid. What else ;)

Next up: more holiday sewing. Different pattern, different countries!