I'm back from a whirlwind summer with my own pattern for a tunic

My RTW copy of a new favorite tunic.

Wow!  The weeks have been flying by!  I had no intention of breaking up my regular posting, but my summer was full!  Full of new fun and adventures.  

Pattern:

Self drafted from a tunic I bought and loved to wear.  

I laid it out and traced off my pattern.  The back has an key hole cut out.  After tracing off the pattern, I added my wonky shoulder adjustment.    This pattern fits so well that I am adopting it as my bodice  knit sloper.   The back keyhole needs a narrower band than I used.  Guess I'll have to make a dozen more to try out that idea.  It takes about 90 minutes to cut and sew this top.  Neck and armholes are finished with a 1/2" band.  The hem is coverstitched.

Fabric:  

Gray with purple floral ITY fabric

I will show you my summer sewing travel pictures below.  But my fabric was from Stretch Text in Montreal.  Brand new for fall.  And $3.50/meter.

Back pattern pieces.  Notice the difference in shoulders.

Pattern front. 

Back view

Yes, I love this tunic

Next time I will use a smaller trim to do the finish of the loop.

It fits like a dream.

 Over the summer we traveled to New York City, Montreal, and Quebec City.  

In New York City we hit the Garment District and all the fun fabric stores.  My daughter was my partner in crime that day.  (Or at least she carried one bag.)

After all the retail fabric in New York City, I decided that my three hour fabric shopping time limit would be spent in the warehouse district in Montreal.  Thanks to two Canadians who wrote up detailed directions, I ventured out on an adventure.  (refer to http://closetcasefiles.com/fabric-shopping-in-montreal/ and http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/other/montreals-crafty-directory/143103)

So I left my hotel with three hours to hit the Chabanal District.  Armed with a map and a taxi driver, I made it my destination in 30 minutes.  Since both references talked about Globe-Tex, I headed there first.  The place was great.  The people were great.  The prices were great.  The fabric was great.  I burned two hours here and filled a suitcase.  They were kind enough to hold my large purchase while I ran downstairs to Stretch Text. That is where I bought this fabric for my tunic.  All the latest fall ITY fabrics for $3.50/meter.  The lady at Globe-Tex was so kind, she called me a taxi to get me and my fabric back to the hotel before we were scheduled to join the Montreal circus.  My fabric cutting guy carried my fabric purchase from the fourth floor down to the taxi.  Great customer service for this Texan.  If you happen to find yourself in Montreal, TAKE AN EXTRA SUITCASE and GO TO GLOBE TEX.  Enjoy my trip in pictures.

Iconic statue at the beginning of the Garment District.

Spandex House

My daughter was amazed at all the fabric in Spandex House.

We tried to figure out how to fit this in the suitcase.

Zippers, zippers, and more zippers

Shelves of white for dress shirts. Did you know there were that many whites?

My daughter loves the dress forms.  This was at Mood.

My partner in crime at Mood.

She wore out at B&J Fabrics.

Joining the circus in Montreal.

Warehouse fabric shopping at Globe Tex in Montreal.

How do you fit that in a suitcase?

The fabric in my tunic was from the back wall of Stretch Text.

Rock Climbing near Quebec City.

Rock climbing at Victoria Canyon near Quebec City.