Thursday, February 13, 2020

The Jasper Tunic: Or, "Can Sweatshirts be Chic?"

 When I came across the Jasper sweater/dress pattern by Paprika Patterns, I was intrigued. Was it possible to make a feminine "sweatshirt" tunic? Drawn in by the neckline details, the welt pockets, and the princess seams, I decided to give it a go. I scored some clearance cotton/bamboo sweatshirt fleece from Fabric.com -- the khaki color doesn't have much "pop," but for $13.50 I would have a wearable mock-up (since, I'll admit, I had serious doubts about how this would turn out and didn't want to invest too much). Plus, all the other colors had a bit too much "pop" for my taste!

Those are my Tea and Scandal socks, peeking out from my Dalias


I had about a yard of fabric left over, so this really only required about 1 1/2 yds of my 60" fabric. Which was a good thing, because I ended up having to entirely re-cut the front piece because of the welt pockets. 

Honestly, I was so pleased with this pattern, EXCEPT for the welt pocket instructions. The pattern included a tutorial (which I didn't consult, because it wasn't convenient at the time), but the instructions did not say how far from the fabric edge to place the welt strip. I guessed, and guessed wrong. After finishing the entire pocket area, I realized that it wouldn't work and unpicked it. Peering closely at the pattern illustration, I could see that the welt strip wasn't right on the edge of the fabric, and guessed it belonged on the 5/8" seam allowance line. That worked, but I managed to put the pocket in upside down on my second try. Grr. In the end, I'm glad I ended up just cutting out a new front, because things don't look quite as crisp when you're using pieces that have already been clipped/graded. I just looked at the tutorial to see if it was any clearer, but nope -- no measurements for the welt strip (though it's easier to guesstimate from actual pictures). The rest of the pocket instructions were clear, and I'm pleased with how my welt pockets turned out. But I firmly believe a pattern should be clear enough to follow without having to guess where to put things.




Other than the "welt incident," the dress went together smoothly. I liked the unique construction (no "side seams," just princess seams), though it did make it harder to adjust the fit. It's a pretty forgiving silhouette, so not a big deal in the end.




I'll always be wearing this with thicker leggings, so I ended up shortening the tunic by about 2 inches before adding the hem band (I'm 5'5"). I'd always been concerned that this dress would end up looking like a fabric tube, and the extra length did make it lean in that direction. I think I also shortened the sleeves by about an inch? It's been a few weeks since I made this, but I was thwarted in my picture attempts on its first "airing," and then managed to get grease spots all over the front while making dinner than night. *facepalm* My very favorite thing is grease on a solid color fabric that should be laundered somewhat delicately... At any rate, I had to launder it before I could take photos, and here we are.

In the end, this is quite a cozy tunic. The cotton/rayon blend is kitten soft on the inside and quite breathable, unlike most poly "sweatshirts." A little bit of shaping makes it more feminine (though it's not really designed to show off the female figure!), and it's lovely to wear. I'll definitely make another in the future, now that I have the welt pocket figured out -- maybe the hooded shirt version? Now to figure out which of my littles needs something cozy made from the remaining scraps...


4 comments:

  1. Everything you sew turns out BEAUTIFUL! Shannon, you look great in that color. You are a true artist when it comes to creating things with Fabric and Yarn! Happy Valentines Day! Linn

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    1. Thank you for your kind words, Linn! I promise, I do have failed projects -- but they never make it to the blog -- not because I'm embarrassed to share them, but because it's hard enough to find time to post the successful projects. ;-)

      Happy (belated) Valentine's Day to you, too!

      Cheers,
      Shannon

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  2. Shannon,

    Your tunic looks so cozy! You did a great job, it looks very professional. I could relate to your story about the grease! That has happened to me too. It only happens when I am in a hurry and forget to wear my apron.

    I have enjoyed recent posts! : )

    Sarah

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    1. Sarah,

      Thank you for your kind comment! I was so grateful that it ended up being "wearable," especially considering the cost of the pattern (which is normal for indie patterns, but still seems like a lot to me after decades of $1 JoAnn pattern sales ;-).

      I've tried so many times to wear aprons regularly, but it's just never stuck -- maybe this incident will motivate me to finally make it a habit?

      Cheers,
      Shannon

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