Inspired by...

I love JJill, Chicos and Talbots garments. The silhouettes work for me, they're comfortable, and I like the way they use colors and patterns in their garments. So I get excited when a new collection drops online. What colors are they using?  What silhouettes are they remaking? What appeals to me and makes me want to reproduce it?

I'm an old school sewist. Design and fabric drive my makes. When I was in the corporate world I followed a lot of designers and incorporated their ideals into my work wardrobe. Now that my life is more casual, I tend to look to RTW vendors more. While I'm sewing casual, I'm still drawn to classic styling.

The early spring collection on JJill REALLY inspired me. We know I'm already sewing blue garments because of them. I saved a few images of tops that supercharged my sewjo. This is one of them...

...and here is my version.

I started with Vogue 9299 because it has all of the elements of my Inspiration Garment.

Supplies ~

Lightweight blue denim from Stylemaker Fabrics - this was recently purchased and is available here.

9 - 13/16" brass buttons from deep in the button collection

9" of 3/4" elastic for each sleeve hem

Pattern Alterations ~

I altered the body of the tunic to give me a little more room yet retain the close-fitting look. The finished hip measurement is 59.5" on the pattern and I'm more comfortable with 65" for sitting and standing ease. This alteration accomplished that.

To alter the front by I added space to the side seam so that it covered me and allowed the front .

Since the tunic has a yoke in the back. I altered the back bottom pattern piece by using the pivot and slide method. Simple yet effective changes that made the pattern pieces work for my body.

I also changed the sleeve pattern. While the different sleeve options are what makes this Vogue pattern I wanted a simple longer sleeve similar to my Inspiration Garment. Originally I was going to add the cuff but changed my mind as I was constructing the tunic.

To make the wider sleeve, I just slashed and spread the top sleeve piece. Then lengthened it and redrew the sleeve cap. After the changes I traced them onto a new piece of tracing paper to get a clean sleeve pattern.

If I make this again, I would flatten the sleeve cap a little. The elasticized hem is made from a 1" casing. It was topstitched on the top and bottom of the casing to give it a little more ummph. Simple steps that gave the tunic flare.

The Inspiration Garment has pockets. I'm not really a pocket woman. So I omitted them.

Construction ~

Sewing the pattern together was really easy. It's not a hard pattern to put together. The changes I made were:

- Add topstitching in a solid color

- Make the sleeves with an elasticized hem

- Add stay tape pieces to the side seams to strengthen them where they curve/end.

A Few Photos ~

I really like this tunic because it's perfect for working from home and for zoom meetings because of its' front. It will even be great for wearing outside! There's a little pulling at the bustline but that's due to it being dart-less. It's something I can live with and IF I make it again, I would address it.

This was also a pleasant sew. It didn't make me doubt my skills or want to throw it across the room. In these pandemic times, that's truly a win-win! LOL!

...as always more later!