Linen Tunic

Did I mention that I have been obsessing over Japanese sewing books? Simple lines, and lots of positive ease creates such lovely and incredibly wearable silhouettes. This little linen tunic makes me so happy! I definitely see this as a multi season piece, perfect for helping me build and edit my current wardrobe into a minimalist and classic collection of flattering pieces that can effortlessly be mixed together.  A pair of patterned sweater tights from last winter, a chunky knit cowl and my leather boots from last Christmas will pair well with it in a few months, just as well as the jeans, brass bracelet from Uganda and cotton camisole I can wear with it now as the heat dies down just a bit. It is my fourth sewing project, and by far my favorite. I used some pretty glass buttons I salvaged from an accidentally felted cashmere sweater at the thrift store. The pattern is from Simple Modern Sewing, the first Japanese craft book I picked up and mentioned a few posts ago. The sizes are a little off for me, but I understand that the style of these pieces are supposed to be flowy, and flattering on everyone. Taking that in mind, I used the XS size and ignored adding the 1/4 inch seam allowance. The fit in the end was perfect, and being able to hem it to hit my hips at exactly the point I preferred was so relieving! Thats why I am freakishly tall in the last photo, I had to stand on a little stool to show you the perfect length hem! Too bad I taught Julian to climb on it at the same time.

I learned a couple, ok a lot, of new techniques on this project, including shirring, cutting and applying bias binding. and making button loops. It was just challenging enough to keep me interested but not so challenging that it was discouraging. I might even make a few more, maybe one in a light weight wool or cotton gauze, if I can find one that is affordable. Nani Iro has me swooning. 

See! Its hard to take this thing off. Ive worn it so often in the last week or so. P.s. When I showed my husband this photo he looked quizzically at it. When I asked him what the problem was he told me this,

"I was standing at the bus stop today and looked around and there was a pack of young women wearing funny glasses and buns on their heads, just like you do. I thought maybe they were all friends but then they walked off in different directions." 

What have you been working on lately? 

Thanks for reading, 

-K