Happy 2022! Roscoe Blouse and Tunic

 Welcome 2022! 

Well, I made it through another year of craziness and pandemic and changes and well, just life! On top of that I feel good about it. Feel good about the place I am in physically and mentally even though things can be hard, they are also quite wonderful.

I did not do so great at blogging in 2021. I wanted to, I really did but life was just so big last year with so many things that I needed to attend to and blogging got put to the side. A decision that I was totally okay with. 

I did continue to sew and shared quite a few of my garments and creations on IG. As 2021 was coming to a close I realized that I was starting to miss blogging, a good sign that it was time to start thinking about picking it up again.

And here I am! Once again rambling on and on. 

I ended 2021 with a Roscoe Blouse and started 2022 with a Roscoe Tunic.  I have had the True Bias Roscoe on my wish list for quite a while and finally bought the PDF version and had it printed large format sometime during the past 6 months (timelines in the pandemic are just a bit fuzzy) 

Years and years ago I had a super cute peasant blouse and I always wanted to recreate the look. I just either never got around to it and every time I tried one on in RTW it was just a hot mess. Too much fabric in the wrong places, not enough in the right places and never in the colors or prints that I liked. So, this year I finally got back to it and I am happy that I did!

I used my iPad and my body model croquis  to do some sketching. I like this part of the creative process. I use the procreate app and use it at its most basic level. One of these days I will learn more about it. I’m sure there are tools in there that will make my life easier. 

For the first version, the blouse, I cut the size according to the pattern recommendations which put me at a size 12. I made a muslin using some recycled old garments. I am glad I did because there was way, way too much fabric at the front raglan sleeve seam. It was a bit shapeless. I released this seam and let the “extra” fabric from the upper front chest slide under the sleeve seam and reshaped this seam. An easy fix to do and made a big difference. 

The fabric used for this first version was purchased from a New Rainbow Fabrics that is local to me in Chicago. So local that it is just an easy 1 mile walk! I really liked this print. It is a little bit out of my normal palette with the pastel parts. Plus it was a stretch polyester chiffon, so really out of my normal fabric choice. But, something about it just grabbed me and at $9.99 a yard I figured I could take a chance. Boy am I glad I did!! This is NOT like some other polys I have used in the last from the big box stores. It cut sewed and pressed like a dream. I was so dang surprised! 

With this version done I decided to immediately move to another version with a couple changes. 

The size 12 I cut for the blouse is quite roomy and if I was going to make a tunic I didn’t want that much extra fabric. This time I cut it down to the smallest size plus maintained the seam shape of the front raglan sleeve. I was still worried about feeling overwhelmed by too much fabric. I had seen on some IG pictures and other blogs where people added waist elastic to give it more shape so I sketched this out and marked the waist on the pattern.

In addition I wanted the sleeves to be full length, a little fuller and elasticize at the wrist. For this I lengthened 3 1/2 inches then slashed and spread in 4 places adding in a total of 4 additional inches. 

I thought this was not exactly the look I was going for but it would be a good save if the tunic was still too voluminous and needing shape. So I cut into my fabric, a rayon print from Closet Core Fabrics in a graphic 60’s vintage print. I knew from using this fabric before, in a different colorway, that I had to cut it single layer. A very squirrelly fabric! 

As you can see in the above photos, changing to the smallest size worked out great!! No need for elastic at the waist, no feeling like I am wearing a sack! This Tunic made me happy and the colors were great. I immediately went to my fabric closet and found the perfect color knit for leggings and sewed up a pair of Helen’s Closet Avery Leggings. Sorry only bad mirror selfies!! 

Now I am very happy with this outfit!!!

For a special treat to myself I purchased the Kylie and the Machine advent calendar. it was a blast to open every morning. I used some of my new labels in these tops.

A perfect sewing end of 2021 and start to 2022! What’s next? Well, I have a list, a looong list,  that I want  to work off of that I am calling my Green wardrobe plus sewing a wardrobe for a fall trip to Morocco plus anything else that takes my fancy in between! I want to work on some harder more detailed projects interspersed with some easier ones. 

I am fully enjoying my sewing and designing again and ready to share it again.

Happy Sewing!

Princess Victoria showing off her Grinch apron made with lots of love!!