This blouse used to belong to one of my sisters. It looks like a size Small since the shoulder-to-shoulder measure is less than 14″ and it only measures 42″ around at the bustline. It is different from the other two Mexican blouses I have shown in the way the yoke is constructed and the way the sleeve is attached.
The fabric is cotton, and is quite similar to the IKEA sheet I recently made an apron from. The blouse is machine sewn on the seams and hand embroidered in areas. The yoke is attached to the body with hand stitches. The gusset does not reach to the bottom of the sleeve so it retains its square shape.
The yoke is decorated with cross stitch, which is also used to decorate the sleeves and to provide a casing of sorts for the sleeve ties.
The bottom doesn’t have a hem and you can see in the photo above that the selvedge of the fabric is used for the bottom edge.
Tomorrow I will show more photos of the construction, especially of the interesting yoke assembly.
I love Mexican peasant blouses and dresses. Many years ago when I was in my teens I visited my aunt who lives in Brownsville, Texas. I commented on the lovely house dresses she wore and she offered to take me to the “mercado” in Las Flores so that I could purchase some for myself. How I wish I still had them! I may end up taking a trip to visit them to enjoy their company and a trip to “el mercado” of course. Thanks so much for posting about these lovely handcrafted garments.
My daughter went to college in San Antonio, so when we went to visit her we always made a stop at the Mercado downtown. I wish I could have afforded to get many more dresses and tops but I did manage to take a lot of pictures. Except for the embroidery part they are very easy to sew and so comfortable to wear.
Hi. This is the blouse I wore throughout my teen years! I really want this shirt, but am not talented and am in a rush (“era” dance and I am a 60′s child for sure). Do you know where I can purchase one of these ready made?
Thanks.
Deb
Just Google ‘Mexican Peasant Blouse’ and you’ll be able to find several companies that import these blouses.
Does anyone know where in Mexico these types of blouses originated and where I might get a universal pattern that tells how to make one for any size?