Sometimes the smallest thing can be the deciding factor in the trajectory of a sewing project. In the case of this dress – my last dress of summer sewing – the buttons told me how to proceed. There was some serendipity involved as well, which is often the case with my sewing, it seems.
I purchased the very light and airy white and blue fabric from Britex Fabrics two or three years ago. When it arrived, I tucked it away to think about it. Somewhere along the line, I purchased the buttons you see here, but not for this fabric. (I rarely let deep pink vintage buttons get away from me if I can help it.) Somehow the two – the buttons and the fabric – found each other and became best friends. That was all well and good, except for the fact those six little buttons needed some help to bring out the fuchsia and orange dots sprinkled amongst the blue flowers on the white background. Enter deep pink Petersham ribbon left over from holiday dresses I made for my granddaughters last Fall. Somehow, although this ribbon was not a match to either the fuchsia or the orange, it worked! I had my palette….

I had decided to use this pattern again, but a longer version, with different sleeves.
However – and doesn’t it seem there is always an “however” to muddle the plans – I only had six of those petite little buttons. And theoretically I needed at least eight. So – I had to get creative.
I decided I could eliminate two buttons on the bodice if I reconfigured the front opening and collar. Here is what I did:
- I angled the front opening: starting at about 6 inches down from the neckline seam, I drew a line from the fold line to the center front line, ending at the neckline.
- This allowed me to shorten the collar stand (so it was flush with the front edge of the collar), thus eliminating the need for a button on it.
- I redrew the collar so that it would be most attractive either standing up or lying flat.
- The original pattern had a self-facing for the bodice (as you can see below), so I had to make a separate, applied facing to accommodate the angle.
- The angled opening also allowed for the first button to be 6 inches down – meaning I could get away with two buttons on the bodice – if I used snaps at the waist (which isn’t a bad idea anyway.)

Here is what the reconfigured collar and collar stand look like up close:
Two buttons on the bodice allowed me 4 buttons for the skirt, which was adequate. I actually added a small snap 3+ inches below the lowermost button to hold the skirt together indiscreetly.
Moving on with more changes: the flowing nature of the fabric dictated a change in the tailored sleeves of the pattern. I knew I wanted below elbow length with a little bit of fullness, but not too much. A narrow sleeve band seemed appropriate. And then there was the decision where to apply the narrow Petersham ribbon on the sleeve bands. Next to the seamline with the gathered line of the body of the sleeve looked best to my eye, so that’s what I did.
I was fortunate enough to have enough of the narrow Petersham ribbon to put two rows of it at the lower part of the skirt. These two rows of trim are absolutely essential for this dress to look balanced.
I should mention I underlined the entire dress, with the exception of the sleeves, with very lightweight cotton batiste. I finished all the seams with Hug Snug seam binding.
I like the bodice “angled” neckline and the reconfigured collar so much, I will probably use these alterations again sometime, even if I am not compromised by too few buttons!
Without those little rosy-pink buttons – and without leftover trim from my granddaughters’ dresses – the white and blue flowered fabric would probably still be sitting in my fabric cupboard. Instead, I was able to finish my summer sewing not only with more pink, but with a dress I really like!
A Blue, White and Pink Tunic Top
Perhaps many of you are familiar with this famous quote from Edith Head (American costume designer, 1897-1981): “A dress should be tight enough to show you’re a woman and loose enough to prove you’re a lady.” When it comes to tunic tops, my very inelegant redo of that quote is: “A tunic should be fitted enough to not be baggy and loose enough to be able to get into it.” I find that combination to be a difficult task. Let’s see how I did with this one:
When I saw this pretty fabric on Emma One Socks’s website, I just knew I needed to purchase a length of it. All cotton, it is finely woven and silky soft. Originally, I thought I would make a dress, but when it arrived, I saw it as a tunic top, trimmed in pink, of course. I have a couple of tunic patterns, but I went back to this one because the front opening is longer than most, making it easier to get on and get off.
The interesting thing about this pattern is that there is no fastener/button indicated for that long opening. I’m not sure how one would keep a degree of modesty – or even keep the tunic properly on one’s body – without a button or at least a hook and eye. More about that later.
There are a couple of features of this pattern I like, besides that long opening in the front. It has shoulder darts in the back, which I always find add just a little necessary fitting finesse.
I also like the way the front facing is constructed, and the width of the stand-up collar. However, the pattern lacks slimming darts in the back. My limited experience with sewing tunics has taught me that without long defining fisheye darts in the back, my tunic is going to be baggy and look like a sack. So, I added them.
I also shortened the sleeves, as I prefer a length just below the elbow, and I took out some of the width of the “trumpet.” Even with a narrower sleeve, I knew turning up a hem on it would result in a less than smooth finish. To get around this, I took the pattern piece for the bottom panel for the long sleeve (shown on the pattern), flipped it, narrowed it, and shortened it to give me a facing which would be a perfect fit into the lower curve of the sleeve.
Back to that front opening: when sewing the facing on, I added a loop to the right side so that I could strategically place a button to keep the gap closed. On this fabric, it seems hardly noticeable, but oh my, is it necessary!
One of the beauties of tunics is there are no rules on how trim is applied or placed or even if it is used. I had purchased two widths of Petersham ribbon for use on this garment, fully intending on using two rows to echo the front opening. However, I determined that would be too much. Instead, I used the narrower ribbon on the collar and as the second row around the hem and the side slits. The sleeves seemed to look better with the wider width of ribbon. The ribbon adds a degree of stability to the hem, especially, which helps the tunic to hang properly.
By the way, sewing all that Petersham ribbon on is helped immensely by the use of Dritz WashAway adhesive tape.
Obviously I have not washed this tunic yet, but in its first laundering the tape securing the ribbon will, indeed, wash away. I expect a softer appearance of the ribbon at that point, which seems to have a few waves in it at present.
Pictures often are the best way to check fit on a garment (even after multiple try-ons to fine-tune it), and I was pleased with the final, slightly fitted, non-baggy appearance of this tunic. In other words, it does not look like a sack! It is easy to slip on, less so getting it off, but still very manageable. (Sometimes a side zipper can be – or needs to be – added to help with this task of dressing and undressing. The abbreviated length of this example precluded that option.)
I’m not sure what Edith Head would have thought about tunics, if anything (!), but I am thinking positively about this one.
27 Comments
Filed under Blouses, Fashion commentary, Loops for buttons, Tunics, Uncategorized, Vogue patterns
Tagged as Emma One Sock Fabrics, fashion sewing, sewing, tunic tops