Love Notions Muse Blouse Pattern Review

If you love an easy woven top that feels as versatile as a T‑shirt but looks much more polished, let me introduce you to the Love Notions Muse Blouse*. After sewing my first version, I can already tell it’s going to be a repeat make—especially heading into spring sewing season.

Let’s dig into the pattern options, fit details, fabric choices, and a few things I’d tweak next time.  Read on or watch here:

Pattern Overview: Love Notions Muse Blouse*

The Love Notions Muse is a pullover woven top sewing pattern designed for lightweight fabrics such as cotton lawn, cotton voile, rayon challis, rayon crepe, cotton double gauze, or a shirting-weight chambray. Like most Love Notions sewing patterns, it comes packed with options and thoughtful drafting.

Key features:

• Designed for lightweight woven fabrics
• Bust darts for shaping
• Full size range: XS–5X
• Standard Bust and Full Bust front options
• Clean, simple silhouette that lets fabric shine

The neckline is finished with a faced V‑neck and a sweet little banded collar stand, which gives the top just enough structure without feeling fussy.

Sleeve options include:

• Short sleeve (the version I sewed)
• Balloon sleeve
• Tiered, lantern-style sleeve with a gathered section at the hem

That lantern sleeve is especially fun—it’s fitted through the upper arm and finishes with a gathered detail that adds just the right amount of drama.

Body options:

• Straight hem
• Skirted hem
• Balloon hem with a drawstring-style finish for a slightly cropped look

All options mix and match and would work beautifully together depending on your wardrobe and styling goals.

My Version: Fabric Choice & Pattern Adjustments

I sewed a Medium with the Full Bust front, which is my usual size for Love Notions patterns.

Adjustments I made:

• Shortened the bodice by 1 inch (typical for me)
• Because my fabric had a scalloped border, I cut the hem straight across instead of following the slight curve drafted into the pattern. This allowed me to feature the embroidery without needing to hem.
• For the sleeves, I aligned the scallop so it finished at the hem and skipped hemming entirely, surging the seam allowances and pressing them open for a clean finish.

Handling Sheer Cotton Voile & Eyelet:

Cotton voile is lightweight and loosely woven, which means it can be quite sheer—especially when combined with eyelet embroidery.

To make the top more wearable, I interlined the bodice:

• Cut two fronts and two backs
• Used mostly the white portion of the fabric for the interlining
• Shortened the lining layer and surged the hem to reduce bulk
• Treated the outer fabric and lining as one piece for darts and side seams

For the neckline and collar:

• Used the white fabric exclusively
• Interfaced the facing and one side of each collar piece for structure

This approach kept everything light, neat, and comfortable while avoiding transparency issues.

Fit Notes & What I’ll Change Next Time:

Overall, I’m really happy with how this top turned out—but there’s one fit tweak I’ll make next time.

The Muse is slightly tight across my upper chest and arms, which is unusual for me in Love Notions patterns. Next time I'll add a broad shoulder adjustment to widen the should seam and gain a bit more ease across the chest and upper arm. It’s a straightforward adjustment and one I think will make future versions absolutely perfect.

Why This Sewing Pattern Is a Wardrobe Workhorse

What I love most about the Love Notions Muse Blouse* is how simple and adaptable it is:

• Minimal seam lines
• Perfect for bold prints or solids
• Easy to dress up or down
• Endless sleeve and fabric variations

You could absolutely use this as a woven “T‑shirt” pattern—make it again and again, and have each version feel totally different.

It would also be a fantastic base for embellishment, like:

• Embroidered sleeves
• Special trims
• Statement fabrics

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