One more like I promised....
Can you guess which one is the impostor?!
The one in the middle!
So the story goes is that I have these sheer tunic tops from Brooklyn Industries that I love. I love them so much that every time we would get one in the store, my coworkers knew I was going to buy one. (I have a few other sheer tunic tops from them!) Wandering around in the fabric store about a month or so ago, I found this floral sheer print fabric and knew it would be perfect for another tunic top. It was only $6 a yard, so I figured I would try sewing with sheer fabric.
If only I had a pattern! I looked around on Burda for something that could be a tunic top approximation and even in the store for a pattern from another brand but.... no dice. It seemed like there was a general lack of tunic tops as a whole everywhere I looked.
So, as always, I got to work making my own sewing pattern.
I paid VERY close attention to detail on this one as I wanted to see how close of a knock off I could make it.
There are 6 pintucks on each side of the front bodice - something I thought would be more difficult than it actually was. Especially in sheer fabric! I've done pintucks before long, long ago in college but I never have sewn with a sheer fabric. This was surprisingly easy.
The pintucks on the shoulder eliminate the need for darts on the bust. I also made the overall patten very straight, just like the original.
I even added a rounded back yoke and made a classic princess seamline like the original as well as a shirt-tail hem. I kinda went all out on this.
Because it's a sheer fabric, I went ahead and made enclosed seams on it which is basically like sewing the garment twice. You can see that I got lazy by the end with the armholes and hem and just serged the edges. The original one is sewn using a self-binding but I just wanted to make my life easy and not cut binding or fuss with folding it over.
I do think I'll make this style again eventually. I even like that I eliminated the problem of the neckline popping open like the original BKI design has. I think they wanted the neckline to be unbuttoned at the top button to make a v-shape neckline but.... it mostly annoys me where it sits. Bonus: My design is not annoying!
*****
I'm still basically on my self-imposed summer break (or longer?) from the blog. Updating has been a habit, but I am also not that great at updating all that often. So.... long story short: I might be around, I might not be. I'll always post if I make something but don't expect a miracle.
I am making something very soon for a special blogger-friend but won't reveal who she is. I'll let her post all about the dress when it's done, but you may still get sneak peeks on the Instagram!
That is an excellent knock-off! It looks exactly like the originals, although I think I like the fabric you chose better. Nice work :)
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, your top looks better than the original! You did an amazing job!
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