Sewing Tunics

19 Apr The James’ Tunic

Posted at 06:28h in Classic Clothing, Fashion Sewing, Sewing Tunics, The Tunic Bible, Tunic by goodbyevalentino 50 Comments

Dear Readers, Life happens. (Birdie, Billy and James) Since I last published a post nearly two months ago, we welcomed Baby James into our family on March 1. Three days later a family member was diagnosed with an illness which has taken me away from home, as well as sewing for extended periods of time. My new embroidered tunic is in celebration of Baby James who will be here for Easter 😊 I purchased my fabric, a reversible rayon at the Children's Corner store in Nashville last year. This lovely store is loaded with beautiful fabrics ideal for both children and adults. After selecting my design...

01 Oct Bring on the Bouclé!

Posted at 07:31h in Fashion Sewing, McCall's Sewing Pattern, Sewing Tunics by goodbyevalentino 75 Comments

Do you fall for fashion trends or do you aspire to classics? When I was asked to participate in Style Maker Fabrics' Fall Blog Tour, I selected this nubby cotton bouclé sweater knit. The bouclé, categorized under Trend Proof Neutrals, is a classic, leading me to create a traditional garment that I'll wear forever ;) It's vanilla and winter white base laced with beige and black represent my favorite cold weather neutrals, and the 10% stretch made it perfect for McCall's 6844, a cardigan pattern I've sewn before (blogged here). I love this pattern because it is fitted fairly closely and accommodates heavier fabrics...

27 Aug Black White and Cherry!

Posted at 05:00h in Fashion Sewing, Mood Fabrics, Mood Sewing Network, Sewing Tunics, The Tunic Bible by goodbyevalentino 50 Comments

I've never been able to adopt the 'keep it simple' philosophy, but I do believe in the 'one step at a time' approach to life. In sewing that means sticking to the familiar while learning the new. While I try to grasp the details of machine embroidery I'm sewing with patterns and fabrics that leave no surprises. Mood Fabrics offers a fabulous collection of cotton shirtings, and what better backdrop for cherry red than a black and white check! I knew this smooth shirting fabric with a soft drape would be perfect for a tunic and kept my fingers crossed that it would be...

01 Jul New Lilly Inspired Dress and Contest Winner!

Posted at 06:12h in C&T Publishing, Mood Fabrics, Mood Sewing Network, Sewing Tunics, The Tunic Bible, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 32 Comments

Lilly Pulitzer introduced a fabulous collection of navy dresses this season, and I wanted one too. The Lilly dresses are available in every fabric imaginable bringing about many possibilities. My decision was based on the piece of Theory Navy Cotton Rib Knit I ordered from Mood Fabrics in March. (Now sold out but I highly recommend the navy stretch pique.) While Lilly refers to many of its dresses as 'shift dresses', they look like tunics to me, and so I made a tunic from The Tunic Bible. Since this is at least the 40th tunic I've made during the last two years, I...

12 Jun Tunic x Nine !

Posted at 07:36h in Sewing Tunics, The Tunic Bible, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 25 Comments

Greetings! I'd like to introduce you to a reader who made my day. Meet Marion, a fellow tunic lover from Germany. Marion bought The Tunic Bible in February and has showcased our concept of one pattern unlimited possibilities so beautifully that I must share. After reading Marion's initial email, I requested photos of her tunics. She surprised me with not one or two or three….. but nine tunics she’s created this Spring using the master pattern! Let's look...

01 Nov Houston, Atlanta, and a Giveaway from……!

Posted at 08:24h in C&T Publishing, Sewing Tunics, The Tunic Bible, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 281 Comments

It's true. We had no idea how time consuming our first book would be, yet it's an accomplishment Julie and I are proud of. I encourage anyone with a book idea to pursue it since you never know who might be interested in publishing your work ...

17 Sep New Website and Giveaway!

Posted at 12:48h in C&T Publishing, Goodbye Valentino Giveaway, Sewing Tunics, The Tunic Bible, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 33 Comments

It is with great excitement that Julie and I announce a companion website to our upcoming book, The Tunic Bible, thetunicbible.com. Not only is the website designed to enhance your tunic sewing experience, thetunicbible.com will allow me to post far less tunic material on goodbyevalentino.com. So you might say this is one of my last tunic posts on Goodbye Valentino ;) Julie and I have sewn over 60 tunics during the last 16 months, and became intrigued with several tunic designers. In the beginning it was Sail to Sable, followed by Tory Burch , then Gretchen Scott and others. We accumulated a...

01 Sep To Trim or Not To Trim?

Posted at 06:25h in Mood Fabrics, Mood Sewing Network, Sewing Tunics, The Tunic Bible, Tunics by goodbyevalentino 41 Comments

Summer clothes are sew much fun to sew, I will make them until the end of the season. While writing The Tunic Bible, I developed a new appreciation, perhaps an obsession for working with trims. Using the 'right' trim whether it's inexpensive twill tape or an ornate applique easily transforms a garment from plain to sensational. Mood Fabrics has it all from lace to ribbons to chains and appliqués! To transform my latest tunic in Mood Fabrics luscious fuchsia lightweight linen, I selected an this Oscar de la Renta 2" medallion design cotton lace. It's fabulous. When clicking on the link be...