The Tweed Tunic

08 May The Tweed Tunic

Just another tunic? Not to me, Dear Readers…. Being so intimately involved with The Tunic Bible, I consider each tunic I sew to be special. Couple my attachment to the book with Mood Fabric’s Maritime Blue and White Nailshead Cotton Blend Tweed and I find myself head over heels with this classic twist on the universal garment.

The tweed keeps the emphasis on texture which seems to work with the more streamlined silhouette than previous tunics I’ve made.

I created a relaxed fit with no backdarts, but I trimmed the side seams through the hips and eliminated the side vents.

This is my first tunic with cap sleeves. To alter the sleeve pattern piece, simply trim the sleeve two inches below the underarm seam.

I’ve yet to meet a piece of tweed that I did not fringe! In this Fringefest, rather than making a piece of fringe to add as trim, I fringed the actual garment and pattern piece.

I created the fringed placket by placing a piece of interfacing to the fashion fabric with the seam allowance trimmed away. Next I stitched around the interfacing border and then fringed the fabric. After the entire piece was fringed I trimmed the fringe evenly around its perimeter.

Below is a photo of the placket in progress, and as you can see, I altered the shape of the placket’s neckline.

I have underlined several tunics, but this is the first tunic I have lined. The process required a different construction order, but if you’ve ever sewn a lined dress, you’ll have no problem. My lining is Bemberg Rayon from Mood Fabrics, which pairs nicely with the cotton tweed.

After sewing the shoulder seams, bust darts and side seams on both the lining and dress, I pinned the pieces right sides together and stitched at the neckline. After turning and pressing I attached the placket on top of the bodice and stitched through the lining.

To line the sleeves, I attached the lining and sleeve right sides together at the lower edge.

After understitching, the lining was folded to the inside with the seam allowance pressed under, followed by slipstitching the lining to the shoulder.

This tunic was a work in progress from start to finish, as well as an experiment, but it worked!

As for the fringed border, I cut the tunic at the desired length, stitched one inch above the lower edge and fringed to the stitching. It is imperative that the grain is perfectly straight to achieve an evenly fringed border!

My unorthodox treatment for taming the fringe was to spray it with hairspray – Paul Mitchell Freeze & Shine to be exact. 😉 It worked far better on the tweed than it did my hair in the coastal humidity.

I made the tunic to wear to our recent Charleston Tunic Bible Workshop.  What a wonderful occasion, and Julie couldn’t have said it better…..

“The sewjo was off the charts in our recent Tunic Bible workshop. These ladies amazed us with their creative fabric combinations, trim choices and style selections. Our attendees hailed from around the corner, around the country and around the globe 🌎 One group, born in three different countries became friends in Sweden, and met up in Charleston to sew with us!!  On the first evening of the workshop two women discovered they are practically neighbors in Beaufort and drove in together for day two of our session. New friends and old friends – watching them all create together was magical.”

 

I didn’t exactly need another tunic but with nearly 1,000 tunics pinned to the Tunic Inspiration Pinterest board, I’m always finding a style I want to try. This tunic was inspired by an early pin of a Tibi tweed plaid tunic.

While I am passionate about sewing practically every type of garment, I know myself well enough to admit, there will always be another tunic in the works!

Until soon 😊