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.