Skip to main content

Hi Low Voile Tunic

 I can't believe I completely missed posting in May!  May was a super busy month with my middle daughter, Serena, graduating from college; my youngest daughter, Alyssa, going to France, graduation parties, and wrapping up the year at my elementary school job.  Whew! 

I have been itching to sew something for myself for weeks, but wasn't sure what.  I got a catalog in the mail from Soft Surroundings, and I really loved the styles that they presented.  Lots of  simple cotton voile tunics with interesting details like unusual hems. These retail for an average of $70, and I could definitely beat that by making my own.   I knew that we just got in a beautiful shipment of cotton voile for SewBaby, so I shopped my shop (yes, this is the perilous part of being a fabric shop owner- you wouldn't believe the stash that I have!), and found this lovely Aqua Voile.  I had just bought Vogue pattern 8821 and decided to try it out in the voile.

This top pattern has gorgeous lines in the back.  I did not lengthen it, and I am 5'9", so keep that in mind if you are shorter.  It is pretty easy to sew- it does involve quite a bit of narrow hemming to go around the bottom.  I cut a bias strip of self fabric to finish the neckband, instead of using purchased bias tape.  This is much softer, and easy enough to do.

 I had a suspicion that the cotton voile would shrink, so I cut a little more fabric than the pattern called for.  I'm glad I did.  The width shrunk from 60 to 54, and my 2-1/4 piece shrunk to just a little over 2 yards.  So, if you are ordering any, please do allow for shrinkage.  The fabric is heavenly though.  Just so soft, and a lovely drape without any cling. 

Love, love, LOVE IT.  I highly recommend the pattern for the top.  And I will definitely be making more of these for summer.

Comments

  1. pdiddlyJune 2, 2013 at 4:13 PM

    thank goodness you did a shrink test first. Lovely top beautiful colour

    ReplyDelete
  2. DianaJune 2, 2013 at 6:25 PM

    I love, love this top. It looks super on you.I wish it is a style I could wear but It wouldn't look right on me. I'm only 5' 4.5" tall.Darn!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ShannonJune 2, 2013 at 8:48 PM

    This looks beautiful on you! I love the way the back hangs with the graceful folds. The color is gorgeous, too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJune 2, 2013 at 10:51 PM

    Wonderful and breezy! Lovely top for summer. Thanks for the information about the pattern length and the fabric shrinking - this is why blogs like yours are so valuable :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJune 6, 2013 at 9:59 AM

    Beautiful! Thanks for sharing. Did you pre-wash and dry the fabric before cutting out the pattern?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Susan PresleyJune 6, 2013 at 10:05 AM

    What size Vogue pattern did you purchase? This looks awesome on you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ann BrodskyJune 6, 2013 at 10:38 AM

    Yes, I did wash the fabric in hot water, and then dried it bone dry to try to get as much shrinkage now, rather than later. I used the size 16, but cut a 14 in the neck and shoulder area. I typically am a L or XL in RTW tops if that helps you compare.

    ReplyDelete
  8. lilred520June 14, 2013 at 3:49 PM

    I love this top! Perfect for any type of occasion. :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for visiting my blog! I would love to hear your opinions! Please share your comments here.

Popular posts from this blog

What to Wear in Madagascar

To be honest, I have no idea what to wear in Madagascar, and this title may need to be changed to "what NOT to wear in Madagascar" in a few months.  We will have to wait and see.  My 22 year old daughter, Alyssa, left for the Peace Corps this week, and she will be stationed in Madagascar for the next 2 years and 3 months.  Yes, you read that right- TWO YEARS and three months!!! We are very proud of her for wanting to help make the world a better place, and for being fearless in doing so, but it will be a looooong time for Mama and Papa back home. Not knowing anything about Madagascar, the first step in figuring out what to pack was to figure out the weather and the cultural norms.  Madagascar is a very large island off the southeastern coast of Africa.  It's very, very unique in it's ecosystem, and has many species that are not found anywhere else in the world- most famously lemurs. Right now, it is experiencing it's rainy season, as you can see by t...
17 comments
Read more

Giveaway Day

The popular blog SewMamaSew is sponsoring a Giveaway Day!  We are participating and would like to offer a prize of 3 SewBaby patterns!  To enter, just comment about which SewBaby pattern you would like to win the most.  We will ship internationally, and the prize winner will be selected randomly on December 6th.  Make sure to leave a way for us to contact you if you are the winner!  You will get to choose which three patterns are your prize!
201 comments
Read more

Vogue 9305 Asymmetrical Tunics

It's April and we're expecting snow tonight.  Have we switched hemispheres?  Nevertheless, I am sewing with visions of warm sunny days.  And for those warm sunny days to come, I imagine sitting in the shade with a light breeze flowing through the air, enjoying a light beverage with friends.  Just close your eyes and you can imagine too.  What would you be wearing?  Well,  I love a dramatic asymmetrical tunic made of the softest linen.  As luck would have it, I found just the fabric in the "As Is" section in Fabric Mart's sales category.  With just some irregular dye marks on the selvage, it was marked down, but still completely usable.  It started out as a solid color, but I did an ombre dip dye process to get this look- more on that later! For my pattern, I chose Vogue 9305 , a tunic with a shaped hemline, and two styles of pants (I didn't make the pants).   This pattern must be the biggest bang for your ti...
16 comments
Read more