KwikSew K3870 Tunics Pattern Review

Saturday, April 13, 2013




I’m finally back in the saddle! I am so excited to be sewing again. Before I had Mackenzie a month ago, I was very good at using nap time as get-stuff-done time. Although it has only been a month, I feel like my life has been dedicated to feeding her, leaving nap time open for cleaning and trying to catch up on sleep. Mackenzie (1 month) and Braelyn (16 months) both slept well last night, so I decided I needed to sew—not only so I would have something to wear to church this Sunday but for my sanity! Sewing and creating is my passion, and going one month without was very hard.

For those of you who have never had a baby, you may not know about the awkward stage right after when you are too big for your regular clothes and too small for maternity clothes. Plus, maternity clothes accent and glorify your stomach; this is that last thing I want. Jeans do not fit because I have a gut and no butt! Shift dresses, tunics, and leggings are really the only clothes I feel comfortable in. Postpartum = Tunics.


The School House Tunic by Sew Liberated is my usual go-to tunic pattern. I have probably made that tunic over 20 times, and I have probably taught over 50 people how to make it. As much as I love that pattern I wanted to try a different tunic.

I choose a KwikSew pattern because I knew it would be fast, and I needed some instant gratification. This pattern should only take 3-4 hours including cutting out. It took me 3 hours to create the first short sleeve tunic and only TWO hours to complete the second. Although it was fast and easy, I haven't decided how much I like the finished product.
Instead of picking one style, I decided to make both.


Although I think I would have liked to have used a voile or a lawn, I went with an Art Gallery and a Sis Boom mid-weight cotton. I absolutely love how Art Gallery fabrics feel and wear. Sis Boom or Jennifer Paganelli's fabric also washes very well and wears well.

http://www.fiveeighthseams.com/product-p/ag-cst-britboutique.htm
Art Gallery Fabrics
More from Art Gallery at http://www.liveartgalleryfabrics.com/



http://www.fiveeighthseams.com/product-p/jp-superpink.htm
Sis Boom - Jennifer Paganelli
More from Jennifer at http://www.sisboom.com/fabric/



When I cut the fabric for this project, I was shocked by how much fabric the pattern called for. The dress is such a true shift in that it does take a lot more fabric then most patterns. You do use almost all of the fabric, so the measurements are true. 

If you think you will make both views in the future there a fews ways to make your pattern work for both. The most common way is to trace the pattern onto craft or freezer paper. As most of you know I like to do things quick and when I pick out patterns for myself I generally just cut out my size so for this pattern I cut notches in the neckline at the curve and folded them back. 



You do not cut this out on the original fold of the fabric; you must create your own fold. Because of this step, you will be cutting out the sleeve piece twice. Just make sure you flip over the sleeve pattern piece for one of the sleeves.




The first page on all Kwik Sew patterns is great; they give you so much information. Not only are they great at telling you how to lay out the pattern to get the most out of your fabric, but the sewing procedures and definitions are very easy to understand. Even if you are an advanced sewer, I highly suggest you read this section before starting.




Yoke View B: This part is a little tricky. Just make sure you clip when instructed in the pattern and you should be fine. I like to do the back first and then the front by creating two separate stitches. I think it is just easier to get the fabric to lay correctly. 




Sleeves View B: The hardest part of this tunic is the sleeves. If you are not an experienced sewer, this step will take extra time. There is no ease on the sleeve; it needs to match up to best of your ability. Also, after finishing the tunic I decided to shorten the sleeves even more on view B. The shortening of the sleeve made it a lot more fun.




Other than that, the pattern is very straight forward. I loved making the boat neck (view A) because I think bias tape is easy to use and creates a nice finish. I also like when a pattern calls for understitching with top stitching. I think it creates a finished professional look.

If you have any questions about this pattern just let me know.
Enjoy!

Mention this post and get 15% off the pattern!






5 comments:

  1. Congradulations, and God bless you and your family. I always enjoy your blogs and your beautiful sewing. You are such an inspiration to me!

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  2. Your tunics look great. I just finished mine today with boat neck. I'm newbee to the sewing, so it took for about 5 hours to finish. It was good, however, the pattern called for 2pcs of neck binding, although you need just one. Did you notice it? Also, I had never understand how to sew neck binding and understitching. I had googled so many sites to help me figure out, but it was so hard, especially most of the time, the tutorials don't tell which side (right side vs wrong site) they are sewing, etc. So I just plain sew the neck around. I wish I have you with me while I was sewing! Anyway, great job. Thanks for sharing pictures!!

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    Replies
    1. Are you local? I would love to show how to understitch. Share your pictures please! Sewhappy@fiveeighthseams.com

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