Pattern Review: Simplicity 2418 [Tangerine Tunic]

Pattern: Simplicity “It’s So Easy” 2418 (OOP)
Fabric: Cotton gauze from Mood Fabric in NYC
Size: 10 graded to a 12

During last year’s shopping trip to NYC (you know, the one that I bought fabric for this top) I also found this yummy orange cotton gauze.  Orange isn’t a color I wear much (not at all, actually), but there was something about this bright pop that jumped off of the shelves and beckoned me to buy it.  And I’m not one to buy fabric without having an idea first as to what I’m going to make out if it!  The fabric has great drape and seemed perfect for a tunic pattern I picked up a few years ago and had hanging out in my stash.

(I’m a pretty bad pattern hoarder, btw.  I’ll buy them and not sew them up.  Hmm I should sell some of them…)

Construction:

Honestly, the hardest and most time consuming part of making this pattern was cutting out the fabric.  The pattern is cut in a single layer on the bias, which gives it such nice drape, but was a pain in the ass getting a nice and smooth cut edge!  Once the pattern was cut out, it took about two hours for me to stitch the top together.

The best part of this top is that there are no exposed seams.  I used french seams to enclose the side seams and narrow turned hems for the cowl and bottom hem.  The yoke was a little fussy – the wrong sides of the front and back are attached to the yoke and the yoke is then top-stitched over the raw edges of the front and back to completely enclose the seams, as can be seen below:

It makes it more RTW, but still fussy.  I love the gathered detail in the back.

I’m not sure if I’d make this again.  Sure, it was an easy top to put together in a short amount of time and fits well, but it was more of a “what can I make with this fabric” type of situation (that way I could justify buying more fabric on a recent trip to NYC).  It’s a great basic, but I think I’d rather try and make some other patterns before coming back to this one again.