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 time possible. The tunic went together so quickly- that little flounce on the front hem is deceptively simple- you would think that there was some very tricky construction, but it's just a short seam sewing the lower side section to the upper section, and then the rest is narrow hemming. Sometimes, fabrics are difficult to narrow hem on a curve, but this linen behaved beautifully. It really was a joy to work with.
I lowered the neckline by 2 inches, using a french curve to make sure that it had a nice rounded shape. That allowed me to slip the tunic over my head and not worry about fiddling with a button closure in the back. I also lengthened the tunic 1-1/2" for my 5'9" height, but I'm not sure that was necessary- it's very long as is! I particularly like how the side piece falls when sitting.
So, a little about my ombre dyeing process. I had never done this before, and was really just flying by the seat of my pants. What I did was I sewed the garment first. Here is what it originally looked like:
I liked it, but in the photos, it reminded me a bit of a hospital dressing gown, and I said "No, no, no,no, no!" So, I mixed up just about a tablespoon of liquid navy dye and 1/3 cup of salt in some hot water in a 5 gallon bucket. I sectioned the tunic into 4 sections using rubber bands. I first wet the fabric with hot water, so that it would dye more evenly. Then, I dipped the first section into the dye, and cut the rubber band off for it's section, swirling the section around in the dye for about 3 minutes. Then I did the next section for about 2 minutes, and then the third section for about 1 minute. Just to clarify- the previous sections stayed in the dye while I did the new sections, so total time for the first section would be about 6 minutes, the second section about 3 minutes. Usually they recommend that you dye things for up to 30 minutes, but I really wanted just a very faint color here, and that's why I shortened the time. The last section is very light- here's a close-up so that you can see it. I did not dye the top section, but covered it with a plastic bag, so that if anything splashed up on it, it would be protected.
Then I rinsed, and washed the whole garment, hoping for the best. So the texture you see here is of washed linen, with no pressing. Slightly crumpled- but that's fine for me- I think it makes it look more interesting. Here's the back and side views.
I also made two out of ponte knit.
I'm very happy with all of these versions, and am sure that I will be making more!
Happy Sewing!
Ann
Looks fabulous. I never would have given that pattern more than a glance, but you've shown me just how flattering and up to date it is. I like them all, but agree that the linen version stands out. I like the drape better.
ReplyDeleteChristy
Thank you Christy! Yes, the linen's crisp drape makes the flounce stand out a little more.
DeleteWell shoot. I commented on the FM post but I love(!) the cream one!!! SO chic!
ReplyDeleteI'd planned this for my mom but maybe I need one too! :-D
Yes, make yourself one too! Out of a knit, it's really like a t-shirt, just with a little pizzazz.
DeleteI really love how much the look changed when you dyed it! Wow! Beautiful job! The other two versions are also nice.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vanessa!
DeleteVery nice! I'm interested in how you treat the garments you have dyed. Do you have to wash them separately so dye doesn't run onto other garments? Do your dyed garments run at all? Or fade?
ReplyDeleteGood question! You really have to rinse, rinse, and rinse some more initially, until your rinse water is clear. Then you can wash it, and I will usually initially wash anything that I've dyed with some old towels or sheets and a color catcher sheet which between them picks up any unset dye. I try to not wash clothing items unless absolutely necessary, and that helps to prevent fading. But here's an article that goes into depth on this for you: https://dengarden.com/cleaning/How-to-Prevent-Fabric-Color-Transfer-Bleeding-and-Fading
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response. I've been wanting to try dying something but was apprehensive about it.
DeleteWhat brand of dye do you use?
DeleteI use Rit dye because it's readily available in most stores. I also really like their website, where they give you tons of ideas! https://www.ritdye.com/
DeleteLe quedo preciosa, perdone que no me exprese en ingles, pero no lo domino. Siempre sigo su estilo. Es muy elegante. Con todo respeto. God bless you.
ReplyDeleteMuchas gracias! Estoy aprendiendo español, y entiendo tu comentario. Tenga un buen día!
Deleteoh my! All of your versions are stunning! You've convinced me to acquire this pattern!
ReplyDeleteWhat a winner of a pattern. All three of your tunics are wonderful. Your ombre version looks like a garment that would be featured in a Soft Surroundings catalog against a caribbean background.
ReplyDeleteAnn - I love that you sew in multiples! This one definitely deserved a multiple sew! Love all of your versions!
ReplyDelete