Friday, March 17, 2017

Kiss Me, I'm (at least a little bit) Irish

I wanted to make something new, and green of course, to wear for St. Patrick's Day today, but with little free time to sew during the week, I was limited in how much I could accomplish. Then I remembered this linen blend tunic from last autumn's clothes swap. It wasn't terrible, just a bit too big, and I wasn't a huge fan of the poofy sleeves. But the color, the lace accents, and the linen fabric will all be perfect for the Texas heat on the horizon.

St Patrick's Day Tunic - Before

I began by salvaging the last remaining button from one sleeve before chopping off the extra length.

St Patrick's Day Tunic - In ProgressSt Patrick's Day Tunic - In Progress

Next, I took in the sides and serged the raw edges around each sleeve.

St Patrick's Day Tunic - In ProgressSt Patrick's Day Tunic - In Progress

I folded the sleeve edge under by about an inch, then folded that folded edge upward again. After top-stitching, this sturdy hem mimics the look of the binding around the neck edge without having to expend to effort to cut strips of bias tape and then apply it.

St Patrick's Day Tunic - In ProgressSt Patrick's Day Tunic - In ProgressSt Patrick's Day Tunic - In Progress

And that was that! The perfect quick project for a free weeknight.

St Patrick's Day Tunic - After
St Patrick's Day Tunic - AfterSt Patrick's Day Tunic - After
St Patrick's Day Tunic - After
St Patrick's Day Tunic - AfterSt Patrick's Day Tunic - After

St Patrick's Day Tunic - Before & After

14 comments:

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    1. Thank you! I've probably worn it once a week since I made it!

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  2. Who "knew" that this huge top could be re-sized so easily into such a cute tunic - only you, Carissa ! The sleeve edge binding is a great trick -- Thanks, Carissa.

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    1. Thanks, Linda! Taking in the sides of a too-large garment is a simple fix that almost anyone could handle!

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  3. perfectly! thanks for showing. I sewed a dress the other day which turned out to be too big. You encourage me to work on it a little bit more!

    best Nadi

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    1. Absolutely! If you're not going to wear it as is, keep working on it until you like it!

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  4. Super cute and springy!

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  5. Just found your blog - you are so talented! Love how you bring new life into these clothes.

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  6. Oh my goodness - such a cute project! Will make me look at over-sized tops on the clearance racks differently!

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  7. love your creation. Super cute.

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