Ah, these Poppy Tunics…they are becoming a very addictive sew! I made another two yesterday – one for me and one for Chelsea.
We both wanted black, so I bought some Kaffe Fassett shot cotton in “Coal”. It looked black on the screen, but when it arrived it turned out to be a very dark navy. So I dyed it using some black Rit fabric dye (using the washing machine method inside the packet because I had so much fabric to dye). It went pretty dark, but not the blackest of blacks. Still has a slight blue tinge to it but only noticeable if you are looking for it.
Fabric before and after dyeing
Chelsea got an all black tunic – it looks really funky, has all the detail of the tunic but with no pop of colour. I was planning on an all black tunic for myself too but I couldn’t say no to this lovely Liberty of London print I’ve had stored away for a special project. I really shouldn’t have bought it because now that I’ve sewn with it and worn it, I’m hooked. Will definitley be saving up for some more of this stunning fabric in the next few weeks. I’m thinking of making a tunic using a small-scale Liberty print for the main part of the tunic and a solid for the chest and hem pieces – what do you reckon?
I should also mention that I added an extra 3″ to the length of this tunic because I wanted it to hit just above my knees. The shot cotton is perfect weight for the tunic, I do promise to blog more info about it next week. For those who have asked what fabrics are best for the tunic, so far I’ve tried with cotton voile, linen and shot cotton – they are all lovely. Anything with a softer drape will work well. A regular quilting weight cotton would work, but will be a little stiffer than these fabrics. Although with a bit of wash and wear it would definitley soften down a bit. One of my testers made hers using a ponte knit fabric – it looked awesome too!
Now, before I forget – I’ve drawn the winner for the pattern giveaway – congratulations Meika! I’ll send you an email with more info!
SUPPLIES: Make It Perfect, Poppy Tunic pattern Kaffe Fassett, Shot cotton in Coal (dyed to black) Liberty of London, Tana Lawn Classics, Misti in Green
I was going to wait a few more days before I released this new pattern, but I’m too excited about it and can’t hold out any longer!
The Poppy Tunic is sure to become as familiar as an old friend with it’s great, everyday shape and soft, relaxed fit. With front and back chest insert panels and a stylish bottom trim, you can easily incorporate a “pop” of your favourite printed fabric, combined with a steady solid to tone things down.
A modish tunic that will carry you all the way from Summer to Winter, the Poppy Tunic boasts versatility and style. Wear it with jeans and boots during the day then dress it up with heels in the evening – with your choice of longer or shorter lengths, the Poppy Tunic can be worn as a tunic over jeans or leggings or as a dress on it’s own!
I’m getting myself all geared up to layer the Poppy Tunic over a long-sleeved top with leggings and boots this Winter. And I like the fact that I can keep wearing the tunic when the weather warms up again – win!
I always have this issue with sewing tops/dresses for myself…I love patterned fabric so much that I want to use it for clothing but when I do it is often a bit “too much” for my style. The Poppy Tunic solves that problem, allowing you to choose your favourite patterned fabric and showcasing it on the hem and top insert pieces and then toning things down a bit with a solid. I’ve used Kaffe Fassett’s shot cottons for the solids in these tunics – they have a slight variegation in the weave and a lovely, soft drape. (I’ll blog more info about these in a few days). In Australia, they are distributed through XLN Fabrics.
Thanks once again Chels (Chelsea Parsons Photography) and her stunner of a sister, Sarah for the beautiful photos – love them girls!!
The Poppy Tunic really is a quick sew and is very beginner-friendly. I’ve made quite a few of them over the last couple of weeks and love coming up with different fabric combos and playing around with a range of fabric types.
The Poppy Tunic includes sizes 2x-small to 2x-large in the one pattern. You’ll find more information about the Poppy Tunic on the Make It Perfect website. If you are looking for a place to purchase a copy of the pattern for yourself, take a look at our stockists or ask your favourite store to order one in for you.
If you would like to win a copy of this new pattern, simply leave a comment on this blog post! (Please make sure you leave an email address with your comment. Giveaway will close Saturday 14th April and winner will be drawn at random).
I was cleaning out boxes of clothes the kids have grown out of over the weekend and came across this cute little top that Lil used to wear. With Easter just around the corner, I thought I’d make another for her – and while I was at it, have put together a copy of the pattern for you to download and use yourselves!
You could use it as a quick and easy Easter gift or maybe even applique it onto a little apron or Easter bag. Or if you don’t get around to using it for Easter, it’s wearable all year ’round!
I appliqued the fabric pieces using vliseofix and a narrow zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine. The mouth and eyes were backstitched by hand using 6 strands of embroidery thread.
Enjoy! And be sure to share your creations with me in my Flickr group.
Thanks for your enthusiastic comments about my new Long Boards pattern!
Congratulations to Nicola – you’ve won yourself a copy of the pattern! I’ll email you with further details.
Here’s a look at another pair of Long Boards I’ve made for Oscar. They don’t have the drawstring inserted yet but have been his favourites by far. I’m loving the longer length on those coolish days as they keep him just that little bit warmer too! This fabric was one that I picked up from Spotlight to make a trial version of the shorts – but they worked out awesome first go so didn’t have to visit the “dodgy” pile!
Easy on, easy off…Long Boards are an ultra-comfortable, easy to wear pair of shorts that will complete your boy’s wardrobe.
A longer style short, sitting below the knee with a variation to make them into trousers.
The knees in boy’s pants always go first, but Long Boards will stand the test of hard play with reinforced knee-patches so he can bash around all he likes without doing damage!
Featuring a comfy, soft rib waistband with drawstring and useful, deep pockets, Long Boards are perfect for all sorts of bike-riding, ball-kicking, beach-playing activities!
Well, it’s been awhile since my last pattern release. And while the break has been nice, it feels good to be back into designing and giving my brain a bit of a workout again!
You know what? Boys are really tricky! Most of the boys I know (through speaking with their Mum’s) like two things…Clothes that are both easy and comfortable to wear. Their wardrobes are so basic (compared to girls anyway) that it can be tough to come up with new designs for them. I’ve always been toying around with the idea of using ribbing for a waistband, especially after wearing shorts and pants with ribbed waistband myself and realising how super comfy they are! And then it dawned on me that boys would really like the comfort-factor of a ribbed waistband and started designing Long Boards. I’ve made four pairs for Oscar now and he is living in them. I know they will last for ages because of the longer length so am predicting that he will still be wearing them in a year or two!
My pattern tester’s sons have given Long Boards the big “thumbs up” – they really are a versatile, stylish and funky pair of boy’s shorts to add to the wardrobe. Not to mention another quick and easy sew! To give them more of a professional look, I’ve included a topstitched front fly detail – but it’s purely decorative…looks good without any stress!
A big thankyou to my friend, Makayla for capturing these awesome pics of Oscar for me! She did such a great job – you can check out more of her photography on her Facebook Page.
Long Boards comes in two size ranges: Little Long Boards for 6 months – 5 years and Big Long Boards for 6 years – 10 years. You’ll find more information about Long Boards on the Make It Perfect website. If you are looking for a place to purchase a copy of the pattern for yourself, take a look at our stockists or ask your favourite store to order one in for you.
If you would like to win a copy of this new pattern, simply leave a comment on this blog post! (Please make sure you leave an email address with your comment. Giveaway will close Monday 19th March and winner will be drawn at random).
