My First 'Tunic Bible' Dress

My dear son gave me a copy of The Tunic Bible for Christmas 2016. It's a beautiful book filled with all sorts of ideas for making a tunic style top or dress, based on the one multi-sized pattern (which is provided in the book). There are loads of gorgeous photos and a gallery of garments made by some of my favourite sewing bloggers.

It has taken me an awful long time to finally try out this pattern, but I am so glad that I did. I cut a size Medium, based on my measurements, but I did have to run the side seams in to get the fit I wanted. The book does suggest to go down a size if using a knit, so I will do that next time.

The fabric is a poly/spandex knit from Knitwit which I purchased back in their summer sale. It must have sold out as I can't see it on the website today. I was immediately drawn to the fresh and vibrant colours of the print.

I used the front pattern piece with the scoop neckline, finished off with a knit binding, as instructed on page 84. I was a little disappointed that the back pattern piece only had one neckline option, which did not match up with the front scoop neckline, so I had to draw that in myself. The suggested length of the knit band worked out perfectly in this fabric, although it wanted to curl along the edges and made applying it to the neckline a little tedious. But it all worked out well in the end.

I sewed the optional vertical darts in the back which gave a lovely shape to the dress. The front has bust darts which were too high for my bust line, but it's not too noticeable in this busy print thankfully. I plan to lower the bust darts by about 2cm for my next version. I cut the sleeves off at the 'ruffle cuff line' on the pattern, but instead of adding the ruffle cuffs, I drafted my own half circle cuffs using the circle skirt app from By Hand London based on the sleeves from Vogue 8945 which I made last year. The sleeves are self lined which gives them a lovely weight and neat finish. There are no hems or raw edges visible.

Wishing you all a very happy and blessed Easter, and hopefully a little sewing time too.

Happy sewing

Jean

Coco Dress in Jersey Knit for March's MAGAM

Early in March, I posted my MAGAM plans on Instagram. The theme for March is MAD March, which stands for make a dress...something. I decided to make a TNT pattern for me... the Tilly and the Buttons Coco Dress with a few modifications to make it a little different.

Modifications made were: to reduce the flare of the skirt, add vertical darts to the back and to add half circle cuffs to the 3/4 length sleeves. 

The addition of vertical darts in the back give a nice fit and take away from any sack like silhouette. I always reduce the flare of the skirt because I feel it's a bit too flared. I have narrow hips and the narrower skirt looks better on my shape.

I decided to use this lovely poly/spandex jersey print that I bought online from Knitwit in their summer sale. It must have sold out, as I can't see it on their site today. This is not the stable ponte or double knit that is the suggested fabric for this pattern, however, it worked out fine.

I used the circle skirt calculator from By Hand London to draft the half circle cuffs for the sleeves. This was really easy to do and I love the effect. The half circle additions to the sleeves are only a single layer and I opted to leave them unhemmed (raw edge) after experimenting with some scraps. I was never going to be able to hem that curved edge neatly and the wrong side would be on show. I would have self faced the half circle cuffs, but unfortunately there was not enough fabric left for that option.

It has been fun to get back into some selfish sewing, after making some shirts for my son. I'm pretty happy with how this dress turned out and I am realising that I gravitate to wearing dresses much more than separates, so maybe I should concentrate on making more dresses.

Happy sewing

Jean  

Style Arc Hedy Designer Dress in Blue Bamboo Print

Style Arc Hedy Designer Dress

This is the Style Arc Hedy Designer Dress in the longer calf length version. I have made the shorter version previously here. I cut a straight size 12 with no alterations at all. The line drawing is a little misleading as the sleeve length finishes above the elbow and is definitely not 3/4 length as the illustration shows.

Style Arc Hedy Designer Dress

I am loving this longer version. It feels very elegant to wear. The fabric is a poly/spandex knit from Knitwit. I can't find it on the website today so I assume they have sold out. It's a lovely quality fabric with the perfect drape for this style. Also, no ironing required which makes it the perfect travel dress.

The fabric is thin which is ideal for this pattern, because the crossover fold at the front is several layers thick and can end up quite bulky if a thicker fabric is used. I had this problem with my first version, but this one was smooth sailing.

The design lines get a bit lost in this gorgeous bamboo print but I am happy with the overall look of the dress.

A close up view of the front cross over fold at the neckline. The neckline is finished off with a facing and it sits beautifully in this poly/spandex knit. I secured the facing with a few hand stitches at each seam allowance around the neckline, so it doesn't flip out at all.

A close up view of the side seam and front in seam pocket. This is such a clever design and comes together very nicely.

There are side slits at the hem line for walking ease. I over locked the raw edges of the side seams, before sewing the side seams with my sewing machine. The seam allowances were then pressed open and the side slits top stitched. The hems were all cover stitched.

The shape of the dress with arms out stretched is quite voluminous but the fabric drapes beautifully with your arms in the usual position.

I wore this dress out to dinner with my hubby for date night, last night. I felt elegant, stylish and comfortable so I guess it's a winner.

Happy Sewing

Jean

Style Arc Ginger Knit Top #3

Style Arc Ginger Knit Top

I've used this outrageously multicoloured knit from Knitwit to create another Style Arc Ginger Knit Top. The fabric is still available and is currently on sale for $12 per metre. This is my third time sewing this pattern, and I doubt it will be my last. Here are the links to my first version and second version. It's just perfect for work, loose fitting, comfortable yet stylish and works well with pants or a skirt.

Style Arc Ginger Knit Top

I sewed this up on Sunday afternoon and wore it to work on Monday, so it's almost one of those instant gratification patterns. The most difficult part of the construction is sewing the pleats. I always find pleats in a knit a bit of a challenge.

This knit was only a two way stretch, not a four way stretch like my previous versions and it did alter the fit slightly. This one feels a little shorter as it has no vertical stretch. The print has quite a lot of orange in it and that's not a colour that suits me very well. I spent quite a bit of time positioning the pattern pieces on the fabric to include as much of the green and fuschia pink to offset the orange.

I love that this fabric requires zero ironing. It is so easy to care for and wear which is a huge plus when I am rushing to get out the door in the morning, heading to work.

All the hems were sewn with my coverstitch. I am wearing it here with a Style Arc Sara Skirt (which I have pegged in quite a bit at the hemline) in a black stretch bengaline. I made this skirt ages ago and is a great work wardrobe staple.

Repeat patterns are awesome and as I have made my three tops from completely different prints, I doubt if anyone, except another sewist, would realise that I had used the same pattern for them all.

Happy Sewing

Jean

Style Arc Mary Shift Dress in a Jacquard Knit

Style Arc Mary Shift Dress

My version of the Style Arc Mary Shift Dress did not go quite as I had planned...all my own fault. Apparently, when working with a fabric where either side can be the right side, you do need to focus and apply a certain amount of concentration as each construction step is executed. I originally planned to have black sleeves (using the reverse side of the fabric) which would have highlighted the raglan sleeve design, but I only realised my error when I went to press the raglan seams which I had already overlocked. The prospect of unpicking all those stitches in a knit was just too much so I went with a design change, mid project.

Style Arc Mary Shift Dress

I also disregarded the suggested fabrics of silk, rayon, crepe or lace and used this lovely Knitwit Integrity Jacquard Knit. This fabric is so lovely to wear. It is a double knit with a lovely drape, but not as much body as a ponte. It also has a lovely quality feel about it too. Due to my fabric choice, the dress turned out very roomy and I ended up running in the side seams, including the sleeves to achieve a nicer fit. This has added to the A line shape of the dress too.

I do love the nice fit around the shoulders in this pattern. The darts at the top of the raglan sleeves certainly contribute to this.

The centre back seam was eliminated so I didn't have to match the print. Instead of hemming the sleeves, I added black bands to match the black trim on the pockets and the black neckline binding. I think this ties everything in together nicely.

Sorry for the blurry side shot, but this is the only photo we got of the side view. Our photo shoot in the front yard was interrupted by our neighbours calling out. It's always awkward taking blog photos when other people are watching. The design on the fabric seemed to be a little distorted, although I centred the black motifs directly down the centre front and centre back, they didn't run exactly straight horizontally.  

This made pattern matching the pockets very difficult, but I am happy with the final result.

The 4cm hem was cover stitched. I used a very helpful tip from Emma who blogs at Earnest Flagg. She suggested I use the seam guide that came with my Bernina 350PE to set the distance from the edge that I needed to position the cover stitching. This worked a treat. Thanks so much Emma for sharing that tip.

This is how I wore the dress to work, dressed up with a bright scarf. I can see this one working with tights and boots for winter too. I had a request on my last post, from DarlaB to share how I do my neckline knit bindings. I know a lot of you already know how to do this, or have your own preferred way. As I used this technique during the construction of my Mary Shift Dress and remembered to take photos I thought I would share them here.

Step 1:
Leaving one shoulder seam open (or in this case one back raglan seam) sew a line of stitching around the neckline at the position of where you want your finished neckline edge to sit. Then carefully trim fabric as close to the stitching as possible. The stitching line simply serves as a guide line for trimming the fabric.

Step 2:
Cut a strip along the stretchiest grain of your fabric for the binding. Calculate the width required by adding 2x binding depth + 2x seam allowance and maybe a smidge extra to allow for turn of cloth. Make the length a little more than the neckline edge. The excess length can be trimmed off. Press in half lengthwise. Stitch one long edge of the binding to the neckline, right sides facing each other using your desired seam allowance. Apply a slight tension to the binding when stitching...no need to stretch it.

Step 3:
Flip binding over the raw neckline edge. The crease in the binding will be the finished edge of the neckline.

Step 4:
Press seam allowances towards the binding.

Step 5:
Pin the binding so that the creased edge sits at the finished neckline edge and the binding overlaps the stitching line on the back. Stitch in the ditch from the right side to secure the back of the binding.

Step 6:
Carefully trim off the excess binding close to the stitching line. It is fine to leave this edge raw in a knit that does not unravel. This creates a nice neat and not too bulky binding.

Step 7:
Trim off any extra length of binding not required. Sew that final shoulder seam, carefully aligning the edges of the binding at the neckline. Finish off the seam allowances as usual.

Step 8:
If overlocking this seam, I thread the tails back through the stitching to leave it neat and secure. I then stitch the seam allowance down on the binding only to prevent it peaking out and looking unsightly. As you can see in my example I have done a terrible job in matching the width of the binding at the join. I think I can get away with it here as it sort of blends into the black motif pattern of the fabric. A true perfectionist would unpick and redo this but I quite honestly, couldn't be bothered.

I hope I have explained this so it makes sense.

Happy Sewing

Jean

Style Arc Rae Tunic

Style Arc Rae Tunic

I chose this lovely Poly/Spandex knit from Knitwit to try out the Style Arc Rae Tunic. I love a good tunic and I have been wanting to try out the cold shoulder trend for a while now, so this pattern ticked all the boxes for me.

Style Arc Rae Tunic

Suggested fabrics are crepe, silk or even a knit. That makes this a very versatile pattern. I dispensed with the button and loop back neck closure, as it was not required. The tunic slips easily over your head (in a knit, anyway).

I cut my usual size 12, with no alterations, but in hindsight I probably should have done a forward shoulder adjustment. The tunic is quite loose fitting and skims nicely over any lumpy bits.

I like the length of the tunic...plenty of backside coverage. I am wearing it with my Style Arc Elle's in white stretch bengaline, made ages ago. This tunic only takes 85cm of 148cm wide fabric (sizes 4-16, slightly more in the larger sizes). You must have a seam at the centre back to squeeze it out of this yardage though.

Application of Bondaweb to hems

I have found when working with these slinky poly/spandex knits, the application of Bondaweb to the hems assists in stabilising the area and results in perfect stitching. I also used Bondaweb in the shoulder seams as I wanted that extra stability for the top stitching.

Sewing knits with my walking foot.

My walking foot also helps enormously when sewing with knits. It's great to learn all these little tricks and see the quality of your sewing improve. 

Loving the cold shoulder feature and it's perfectly bra friendly too. I used a knit binding turned completely to the inside, and top stitched, to finish off the neckline.

Another great feature of the Rae Tunic is the curved hem.

This photo shows the real shape of the tunic with the cut on sleeves. After wearing this to work today, I can report that it is very comfortable and I enjoyed wearing it. I have two pieces of rayon purchased recently with this pattern in mind. It will be interesting to see how it compares in a woven fabric to this one in a knit.

Happy sewing

Jean.