The James’ Tunic

19 Apr The James’ Tunic

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 from embdesigntube.com and downloading it to my machine, I chose Coats and Clark Tribal Embroidery Thread in Blue Aqua for a subtle design. I continue to be surprised by the intensity of color when embroidering, and compare it to selecting a paint color based on a small chip 😉

I lightly traced the neckline, shoulders and armscye with a heat soluble pen then thread traced the centerline. After placing the fabric in the hoop I sat back and watched The Creative Icon do its magic.

……and yes, as you see above it took two hours and thirteen minutes to complete the  55,000 stitches.  Fortunately I don’t need to babysit the machine thanks to  mySewnet™ app.

Last February I published a tutorial on the neckline process (HERE). I also filmed an It’s Sew Easy segment about creating a customized embroidered neckline. Once you read the tutorial it’s fairly self explanatory.

My tunics are always a work in progress!

I rarely cut the sleeves until I’ve sewn the bodice, and also scrutinize the fabric’s drape before selecting a length or adding back darts. When making the TUNIC length, we suggest making the hemline directly above or just below your body’s widest area – NEVER at the widest area! For this tunic I chose just below.

The soft drape of this fabric did not need back darts. It’s loose, breezy and not bulky at all!

By saving the sleeves for last I easily determined what length and style would work best. I chose a 3/4 length and added cuffs in the reversible color, piped with the darker color. The contrast is subtle but effective, and is in keeping with the other details.

It’s Tunic Time!

Would you believe Julie and I have made over 80 tunics from The Tunic Bible? Amazingly enough we have yet to make two that remotely resemble each other!

If you’re in the Tampa/Largo area, I hope you’ll stop by and say Hello to us at one of the Keep Me In Stitches locations next week! We will host two Trunk Shows and Presentations, and two Tunic Bible Workshops – one in each store.

KEEP ME IN STITCHES, TAMPA

April 24^th – Trunk Show
April 25^th – Workshop

KEEP ME IN STITCHES, LARGO 

April 26^th – Trunk Show
April 27^th – Workshop

 

Best wishes to all who are celebrating Easter for a lovely, happy and safe holiday weekend, and many thanks to all for being a Goodbye Valentino reader!