A Little Bit of Sewing...A Little Bit of Procrastinating

I took a little break from working on my trenchcoat (because all I have left to do is line it, and I hate making linings) to fill a hole in my wardrobe...spring tops. At this rate, I will have the spring trench done in time for NEXT spring, but sometimes you just don't "feel" a project, you know? And as for the trench, I'm just not "feeling it" right now. So, I started another project...a tunic.

I had been seeing a lot of tunics online, and wanted to make something other than a button-down woven shirt, or a pull on knit shirt...which seems to be the only kind of shirts I make. I also had some batiste in the stash that was far too flimsy for a button-down, but would do well for a tunic.

I had McCall's 5556 in my stash, an OOP tunic pattern.


I'm actually quite surprised to see this out of print given the similarity to, for example, current hot Tory Burch tunics:


Anyway, I decided to make the view with 3/4 sleeves, and the standing collar:


I used a lime-green batiste in my stash, and I also had some green shell buttons lurking about:


In my attempts to photograph this, I gained huge sympathy for online fabric vendors...no matter what I did, I couldn't get the camera to "read" the color correctly. In all my photos it looks far more chartreuse than the soft green than it is in real life.


I ended up cutting a 16 regardless of the fact that my measurements fall in the range of a 20...there is plenty of ease in this garment. I also found that I needed to lower the bust darts, and shorten the sleeves. On me, they are not the nice 3/4 length in the pattern image, but somewhere between 3/4 length and bracelet length.

The bands on the collar and hems are all attached in ways that hide the seams, which is a nice touch. I only used the serger on the armscyes and the side seams.

I didn't have any trouble assembling the tunic but I will say markings are IMPERATIVE. It is pretty much impossible to assemble without every single marking transferred correctly. Also, make sure you follow the instructions to the letter...snip everywhere they tell you to, and reinforce where they say, otherwise those bands will make you want to curse and throw things. If you mark properly, and assemble in the order they instruct, it falls right together. I also used a lot of starch while I pressing under seam allowances and such, which is really helpful and comes right out with the first wash.

I also have a second version in the works using a white eyelet with black embroidery and black trim...I then decided that a tunic like that will require a pair of slouchy white linen pants...so I have ready my pattern for the HotPatterns Marrakesh pant ready to go.

Once I have this out of my system, I'll go back to my trench.

Although I did buy the white linen for the pants, everything except for the black batiste for the trim on the second shirt, all the fabrics (trench, lining, green batisted, embroidery/eyelet) came from stash and were all parts of the coordinated sets I made for summer planning/sewing.

Once I have a few more things together, I'll make sure I get more photos.

If you celebrate, have a Happy Easter. I do not, but will happily partake of a ham at my mother's house later today and will probably have an unholy tantrum if there is not at least a chocolate bunny for me when I get there (apparently, my mother decided that 35 was the age at which one should have outgrown easter baskets. Who makes up these rules, anyway??). I am also officially the "lame aunt," since I got books for each of my nieces and nephews. No candy, no toys, just books. Yes, I am "that aunt," the one that gives educational gifts. Hopefully, far cooler relatives than I will buy them all toys and candy.