Summer Watercolor Ebony Tunic

I have been practically living in my Closet Case Ebony Tees since first sewing up this pattern earlier this year! Now that summer is here in full force it is time to add another to my wardrobe.

While I love the amazing swing to the Ebony, sometimes all that extra fabric does get in the way and I long for a slimmer version. A few fellow sewists on Instagram tackled this issue using various methods but I decided to take the simple, straight forward approach. First, I traced a fresh copy of my front and back pieces on pattern tissue. On each piece, I then measured along the hem 6 inches from the side seam and drew a straight line up to the underarm. This decreased the circumference of the hem by about 24 inches (that seems like a ton, right?). I settled on the 6 inch amount by trying on my shibori version again and pinching in the side seams to get the fit I wanted—seemed like a good place to start.

With my pattern pieces trimmed down, I needed to make sure my side seams matched up. In looking at the original pieces, the back pieces should be trimmed/curved up to be even with the front. I laid the back piece over the front, matching the side seams at the under arms, and drew a gentle curve from the edge of the front piece out to the hem, shown below. With my alterations complete and I continued on as directed in the pattern and with the changes that I made previously for my 3/4-length raglan sleeve tunic.

Now for the fun part, fabric choice! One of my favorite pieces in the shop right now is this watercolor stripe jersey knit. Lighter weight and perfectly drapey for a summer Ebony tee! I think my favorite part though it the color and the amazing movement and random look of the print. In cutting my pieces out I did my best to match up the “stripes” as best I could. The variegated look made this a bit more difficult and not an absolute match but close enough. I also decided to cut my sleeves out so they DID NOT match, embracing the abstract look of the knit.

Sewing this Ebony up was quick and straight forward. I finished my necklines and hem with my cover-stitch machine for a professional look and I am loving the results!

I was worried I took out too much of the swing (24 inches is a lot!), but I think it was the just about the right amount, especially for the front. I might continue to tweak the back a bit, add a couple inches of swing back in and shorten the curve of the hem. Nothing major but I think these changes may help fix a bit of clinging that I noticed in wearing this top on repeat over the last week.

All in all, I think my watercolor Ebony turned out to be the perfect addition for the summer wardrobe! And this pattern continues to move up my list of favorite patterns. If you haven’t sewing this one up yet, you need to now! And this jersey… I think the photos say it all!

Michelle