Another Sewing Project!

I’ve been really enjoying sewing lately!  Also, I need to clean my sewing room and sewing from stash is one way to do that, although it’s slower than just folding fabric and putting it away.  Hey, what can I say, it makes sense in a PinkLemon kind of way.

Last night’s project was a Schoolhouse Tunic made in Birds and Blossoms Shroom from Birch’s Eiko collection.  The pattern was well written with great directions and the tunic went together without a hitch.  I made the tunic length (there’s also a shorter “shirt” length) and plan to pair it with leggings or tights and boots.  Obviously, there will also be a cami underneath it - that’s a deep V neck!

This is the first time I’ve used Birch fabrics and I really like it.  It’s an organic cotton and not only is it super soft, it has a little more drape than a usual quilting cotton (which is why I decided to use it for a garment).  It ironed up quickly and stayed pretty wrinkle free, even as I was sewing it.  I don’t think this is the last time I’ll be using Birch fabrics.

Here’s a detail shot of one side of the neckline.  I think most store bought clothing tends to have more topstitching than hand made clothing.  Once you get comfortable with topstitching (it takes practice), it’s really pretty easy to do and I think it adds a lot to a garment.  The pattern calls for some topstitching, but I added a second line of edge stitching just because I’m that kind of crazy.

I did the cutting for this project Tuesday afternoon and we got the Boden catalog that day.  Look what I found there!  The neckline is a little different, but it’s very similar and the rest of the shape is almost identical!  I thought it was funny to find something so similar to my current sewing project in ready to wear!