School House Tunic, Round 2

First let's talk about this fabric! I LOVE it. I bought it on my trip to San Francisco to see my new pals and colleagues at Betabrand.

Check out this post about shopping for fabric in the Mission District in SF.

I am a little obsessed with purple and blue as a color combo so I bought 3 yards of this with the School House Tunic in mind. I have a little less than 1/2 a yard left.

I wore my first School House Tunic yesterday so I could figure out what I liked / didn't like about it.

Liked
- It was way comfy.
- Fabric was SUPER soft.
- Got complements on it from people I saw.

Did Not Like
- Have to wear something under it. Is ok now but in a month or so it will be too hot. I like the idea of the slit front but in reality it does not work great for me.
- Bodice hit me too high on the boob.
- Neckline was too high - I have a thing with necklines. I always cut the neck out of t-shirts so this may be a personal issue.
- Too much volume in the skirt.
- Sleeves were too long.
- No pockets!!

Good thing is I know how to make all these changes.

First I changed the bodice. I simply put the bodice piece on the fold and scooted it over about 3/4 on an inch so that I would have a solid bodice piece and not the split front.

Then I lowered the neck like and created a squared off V neck. This allows for a little room for the "girls" and for pulling it over my head. But is not as a deep as the split front.  I lined it in the same fabric. But this would be a great place to put a contrasting fabric. However with psychedelic tie-die, contrast might be a bit much.

I like how it lays open without being too reveling. In addition to changing the neckline I lowered the bottom edge of the bodice about two inches.

It was hitting me sort of low-boob which was creating a weird across the boob line. I wanted to make sure the bottom of the bodice had enough room to go under the chest and accentuate the narrowest part of the body.

Speaking of narrowing, I thought that the shirt had too much volume. So I took out the pleats, front and back. To make it a-line rather than pleated. This cotton lawn is very soft and has a great drape, I am not as sure about doing this with a stiffer fabric.

Basically I folded the pattern piece where the pleat is marked and then pinched it all the way down leaving it the original width at the bottom but smaller at the top.

I simply used masking tape to tape the pattern piece. Since I had traced my pattern onto pattern paper I was able to do this and will be able to take the tape off and use the original pattern piece should I want pleats in the future.

Shortening the sleeve was easy. I basically just measured and cut two inches off the sleeve pattern piece. Now when hemmed it will be elbow length. My personal preference is elbow length or sleeveless / cap sleeve. I have largish arms and traditional short sleeve length accentuates the biggest part of my arm. No need for that!

Since I made the bodice longer (front and back) I also shortened the skirt by to inches. I will be wearing leggings with this so length is not a big issue. That said too long and I will look like an ompa loompa, another look we do not need.

I also added in-seam pockets. This is a generic pocket pattern piece that I drafted long ago and just keep around for times like this when something needs a pocket.

Tips for pocket placement.

- measure from your armpit to where you want the pocket
- baste on all 4 pocket pieces and make sure they line up before sewing the seams
- serge or edge finish pocket pieces before you sew the on to your garment

 Here it is all ready to be hemmed (which I did this morning). I allowed for a one inch hem at the sleeves and one and a half inch at the skirt hem. I like a wide hem.

Overall I am excited about this tunic. I live in a hot place and don;t like wearing shorts. But I do like wearing a tunic and knee or calf length leggings! I have a feeling these School House Tunics and maybe a couple other patterns will be some go-to wardrobe pieces this spring and summer.

Have you made a School House Tunic? What are your thoughts on the pattern?

Want to make one with me? Check out this class: A Tale of Two Tops

School House Tunic, Round 1

A fellow sewing gal owns a lovely sewing studio south of Atlanta called The Green Apricot. It is a bit far from my house. I am one of those ITP (inside the perimeter) people who typically does not go OTP (outside the perimeter) unless I am on an airplane. Traffic is such a beast in Atlanta and really unpredictable. However Angela and her little slice of sewing heaven lure me out there every now and again.

She has asked if I could teach some clothing construction classes and of course I said yes. The first course available is "A Tale of Two Tops". The plan is for you to make one of these in class and to learn the skills needed to make the other one at home. It is up to you which one you make. They are both simple to make and easy to adjust the sizing. If you are new to clothing construction expect to finish one top, if you are a speedy sewer you could do two. 

Both patterns are from Sew Liberated, which is one of my favorite pattern designers. I have made the Esme top several times, but I have never made the School House tunic. I figured I better give it a try before I teach it. As I suspected it is also well written and easy to follow. I made it almost like the directions say. I am not so great at following directions in general. I like to do things my own way.

The pattern has a placket, I did a lining instead. She suggests that you sew the skirt pieces together and then sew them to the bodice. I like to attach each skirt pieces to the bodice and then sew up the side seams. It just seams easier to me.

I liked my first attempt. I thought it was important to sew it at least once as is, so that I can talk my students through it. I am going to make more for myself but I am going to make some changes.

1. Lower the neckline
2. Make the front V less deep - where I live it is hot most of the year. So this deep V will work as a pool cover. But it is too hot to wear layers so I need to be able to wear this on its own.
3. Make front bodice longer to accommodate the bust. It will be more flattering and less maternity looking if I do this and then make the waist smaller.
4. Add pockets!

I am going to call this one a "wearable muslin". It is perfectly nice and I really will wear it as a pool cover. But that open neck just does not work for how busty I am. This is a great design for you smaller chested gals out there.

I used a cotton lawn so it is nice and light and soft. Which will be great for summer.

I did make some general fit changes.

- narrowed the shoulder
- deepened the arm hole

But that's it. Which is not a lot of changes. I usually make loads more.

I think this will be a fun one to have in a few fun fabrics and maybe even a couple solids.

The "Tale of Two Tops" is just one day of Angela's "Wardrobe Week". So check it out and sign up! I am also teaching, Two Pants - One Pattern! This would be a great chance to spruce up your spring wardrobe.