Schoolhouse Tunic - pattern review

I really don't need any new clothes. I have plenty. BUT..... I get bored with my clothes. I admire people (like my sister & several of my friends) who wear classic clothes, the kind that never go out of style, & they look great in them! Not me. I like variety.


So, a while ago I picked up this pattern, the Schoolhouse Tunic by Sew Liberated. I couldn't wait to try it out! I had bought a pretty piece of fine wale corduroy that I wanted to make it out of. BUT... the corduroy was pretty pricey and I didn't want to mess it up. Or, have it end up not fitting (don't you hate when that happens? You spend precious time making something & the pattern is SO not true to size). So I picked up a piece of suede-like fabric in a purple that I love, on sale at Joanns. I made the tunic up in the inexpensive fabric first (I don't like to make a "muslin" like so many people suggest because, well, that just seems like a waste to me, know what I mean? If it comes out great, I want to wear it!). So, here's my "muslin": Cute huh? I think so too! It was a breeze to make (about 2 hours last Saturday afternoon). The pattern instructions were clear & easy. Sizing was pretty good (I made a size bigger than I normally would because that's what matched my measurements on the pattern. And it fits great). My only problem was that my sewing machine did NOT like this fabric. It is backed in kind of a nylon & my machine kept skipping stitches. Yes, I unthreaded it, cleaned it all out, changed the needle, wound a fresh bobbin, rethreaded, still a mess. Boo. But it ended up cute & wearable for all my aggravation. I give the pattern five stars!


So..... yesterday I decided to make the corduroy one too!

Don't you love that rusty brown color? Yum. Tunic #2 went together even quicker! No skipped stitches, no cursing & rethreading. Whew! Oh & I changed up one thing... I thought two layers of corduroy at the neckline would be too bulky. So I picked up a 100% cotton print and used it to line the front facings and to create the bias binding for the back neck edge....

LOVE! You should all make a few of these. Just sayin...