Saturday, March 3, 2012

Eider Tunic Excellence-A Tutorial Part 2

Its nearly Tilly's birthday so sore head or no sore head.....lets get sewing.
(I will fill you in later)


Pin the right side of the yoke to the wrong side of the tunic.
They are sewn together leaving a tiny gap at the base of the front yoke split.
The instructions have a great illustration of this step.
As usual I sew inside the garment so the opposite direction to the instructions.
As long as you stop at start at the correct spot it will make no difference.
Sew the two together.
This is how it should look after stitching.
Press the seam well.
And then trim.

Turn the yoke to the right side and gently push out the corners.
Press the yoke well rolling it slightly so the yoke is just visible from the inside.
You may want to consider stitching the seam allowance to the tunic taking care not to catch the yoke.
This will prevent the wrong side of the fabric showing at the neck.
You may not be able to stitch the complete neck as it is fiddly but even a little will help.
Press well again and then pin the yoke to the tunic.
I started at the centre back.
And then the centre front.
The sides were too tiny to fit on my ironing board so I pinned it in small increments hanging it over my other hand.
Don't spare the pins!
Really-Don't spare the pins!
Following the instructions edge stitch the yoke to the tunic.
I sewed in the direction of the pin-tucks.
Lift the presser foot often to create a good curve.
The pattern suggest sewing it in one movement.
I chose to stop at the centre back and sew again from the centre front so that I was again sewing in the direction of my pin-tucks.
If I sew the wrong direction over pin-tucks they pucker-This may be my machine!
After sewing and pressing I wasn't happy leaving this bit with a raw edge.
So I tucked the raw edges under to make a 'arrow point' and hand sewed them under after sewing the small gap at the front,at the base of the yoke.
Neat&Tidy Heidi!
I love a white yoke-don't you?
Following the instructions-prepare the sleeve hem binding.
Pin the binding to the sleeve end.
Trim off the excess binding and sew in place.
Press the sewn seam.
Press the seams into the binding and check the pin-tucks are sitting nicely.
Pin in place.
Sew.
Again it may be easier to sew on the inside.
Press well.
Doesn't the sleeve hem have a lovely shape?
This opening may be hand sewn together.
Alternatively,elastic could be threaded through if the sleeves are a little long and removed at a later date.
Lovely!
Hem the tunic.
It can be helpful to sew a fold line.
Fold a second time to create the hem.
Sew in place.
Choose the ribbon for the tie.
I didn't have any double sided ribbon in the right colour so I sewed one sided together.
It will do until I can get to the city.
Not great-but it will do.
Thread the ribbon through the casing with a safety pin.
I cut the ends of mine with a hot knife to sear the ends and prevent fraying.
As directed-sew the hook&eye in place at the top of the yoke.
Finally-sew the complementary Clever Charlotte label in place.

And.........ta-dah!
The excellent Eider Tunic.
Well,it makes me feel soft and fluffy!
I hope she likes it!


Originally I planned on making the Eider tunic and a coral linen Village dress for Matilda's birthday.
Unfortunately,I have not had the best week.
I was rudely awaked in the early hours of Thursday morning by a picture frame falling off my wall.
I am well on the mend now but had a horrid headache and a swollen eye and was put on bed rest for a very mild suspected concussion.
So,no sewing for a few days and I really didn't mind!
Thus,Tidy misses out on her pink dress but I got her a bag of sweeties so I am sure she will forgive me!


Won't I look purty for Sports Day?
x N

22 comments:

  1. Love, love, love the tunic! Poor Nicole! I know that must have hurt like heck!

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  2. If you like this one you will love Lidia's version Sarah.
    Thank you so much for being kind-it did jolly hurt and I can just imagine all the jokes I am going to be the but of come Monday-Sports day!
    xxx N

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  3. Oh my gosh Nicole! I'm glad you are on the mend. And now I'm glad the ceiling light I installed myself is not over my bed...

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    1. Thanks Camille.
      Jed told me the hook wasn't strong enough!

      x N

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  4. Ouch! Makes for an interesting story though :) I hope it feels better soon.

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    1. Thank you Icicle,now the bruising is out it fells fine. I just wish I could stay home until it was gone.
      Australian humour is usually at the expense of the subject matter.
      x N

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  5. Oh my! YOu poor thing, I hope you get to feeling better soon! Very lovely tunic! I love all those pin tucks and hte white yoke looks wonderful against the fabric!

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    1. Thank you Sharon.
      I am a sucker for white yokes anyway(love the Playdate dress)but throw in pin-tucks and I am in heaven!
      x N

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  6. I was going to give high praise to your wonderful tutorial and the beautiful tunic, as usual :-) but Oh my goodness, your poor head! I hope you're feeling a lot better.

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    1. Thank you Angela,I know-so many photos but I find a picture helps me to understand steps better then written instructions.
      Much better now,I just feel a little guilty I didn't make Tildy's 'pink dress'but I guess she won't mind if it is late.

      x N

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  7. Love the tunic and your step-by-step tutorial.:)

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    1. Thank you Cindy,I think this could look very lovely in a solid floaty fabric with coloured pin-tucks?
      Very beachy.
      x N

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  8. I'm sure she'll be happy to receive the pink dress late. This tunic is very pretty and I appreciate your step by step photos. Glad your head is feeling better!

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  9. Thank you Sandi-she keeps saying 'I am getting a pink dress' though-I feel soooooooo guilty.
    Someone has to do the washing!
    x N

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  10. The tunic looks adorable! I love the colors!

    Poor Nicole is right! OUCH!! I live in earthquake country, and one cardinal rule here is, never ever hang anything heavy (pictures, shelves, etc.) above your head in bed. It turns out this might be a good rule even if you don't have earthquakes! I'm so glad you're feeling better!! Maybe hang that picture on a different wall?

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    1. Thank Inder!
      Very very good advice and I have removed the other decorative objects of pain!

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  11. Love the tunic! Thanks for the tute :-)

    And as for your eye - 

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  12. Great explanation for attaching the yoke--it can be a little tricky! I hope Tilly has a great birthday.

    I am so sorry to hear about your accident! Hope you are feeling better now.

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  13. Thank you Erin and even though I am a dress girl,this is my absolute favourite pattern. The construction is so clever!
    Tilly is having a wonderful day bouncing on her mini tramp that daddy purchased for her(which clearly states on one side Not For Children)!!!!
    I am feeling so much better thank you and I shall have the most wonderful technicolour eye make up for the children's sports day tomorrow.

    x N

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  14. Oh Nicole!! Bless your heart! What an awful wake-up call. I'm glad you are on the mend; your injury didn't affect your sewing skills at all. I am sure Matilda loves the top, it's gorgeous!

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    1. Thank you Margaret,you are lovely,it was a rude shock. I would much rather be waken by a hungry baby!

      Matilda was well pleased,which is lovely and didn't mention her 'pink dress' all day!
      x N

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