Washi Tunic and Class!

Completed Washi Tunic!

Earlier this month I took a class at my store! It was taught by the very sweet and knowledgeable Devon, of Miss Make fame. She is currently leading the Colette sew-a-longs, so it is lucky to get to work with her in person!

There she is in her Moneta dress, while Erica cuts her pattern!

It was actually really great for me to take this class for a lot of reasons. First being that it is useful for me to know what layout works the best in the store when people are in there for classes, what could change, what I could order, etc. It was also nice to see one of the teachers in action, and I was highly impressed! Devon is a great teacher because she not only explains clearly what to do, she also makes you understand why you are doing it, making it a skill that you can then apply to other patterns. Which leads me to the other reason I loved taking a class-- I've never taken a sewing class before and all my skills are self-learned or internet found, and its amazing how much further you can go when someone is there in person explaining things to you. It really felt like a turning point, so that was exciting!

Deep focus!

So, on to the top! The washi is definitely something you've seen before, but that's because it's a cute, flattering pattern that looks good in, I think, every single fabric ever! How handy. I opted to use my lovely and favorite Nani Iro double gauze in light pink. There are watercolor looking dots on it in white, metallic pink, and light aqau. Perfection! It was slightly trickier to sew with than quilting cotton, but really not bad. The class met 3 times, so could go slowly and carefully, which was nice.

Shirring lines in the back

The shirt doesnt use a zipper or buttons, but instead elastic thread shirring lines in the back, which is also a good handy skill. I think the next time i make this (and I do have a plan for my next one!!) I will lower the lines a bit. I think I have a long torso so I sometimes feel like I'm tugging down the shirt, and I think this will remedy that.

Side view and question: why does my head look giant??!!

The bodice is pleated and I think the length is really nice. I might make a slightly longer one that I can wear with leggings because im a really lazy dresser most of the time, and I'm not afraid to admit I like wearing pants that stretch!!

And a close up!

I opted for the neckline version without the cutout, because I have no cleavage so I didnt see the point! I think it's a really flattering neckline and I also really like the sleeves. Erica, the other girl who took the class, also really liked the fit on hers, and she made it up in a really cool dark purple cotton by Cloud9. All the pictures of us together wearing them are pretty bad (it was 9 at night after a long work day), so I wont post those here, but the shirt was cute!

Stay tuned or sign up for The Fabric Studio newsletter here to find out when the next washi class will take place (late summer and early fall!).