I had intended to make this tunic top to co-ordinate with the Batik/Striped reversible wraparound skirt but it has not proved to be 100% successful. Lesson learned – don’t be in so much of a hurry to complete a garment in one sitting and think out a definite plan when print and colour blocking rather than “winging” it!

I had lengths of the Batik and Striped fabrics left over from the skirt project plus approximately 2.5 metres of a plain Light Tan/Beige cotton recently purchased from New Threads, Weyhill Fairground. I decided to make the bodice in blocks of the fabrics, 3/4 length sleeves plus a cowl neckline in the Striped fabric which should look good as it would be cut on the bias.

First I measured the neckline of the bodice and drafted a pattern for the cowl collar which I cut from the Stripe fabric. Then I stitched bands of the Batik, Stripes and Plain fabrics together and cut the bodice front and back. As I did not have sufficient fabric in the Batik I found that I had to shorten the length of the top by 2 ½ inches. Due to mis-measurement I then had to insert an extra band of the stripe into the back bodice plus another at the hemline. By now the bodice was beginning to look rather like a “crazy patchwork” rather than pre-planned print and colour blocking. Not the look I was hoping to achieve.

I stitched the shoulder seams and stay-stitched the neckline. Prepared the cowl collar and attached. Not good. There was not enough depth to the collar at the front and too much depth at the back. I tried folding the back collar down but it just did not sit right at the front. I removed the cowl, cut it down and attached as bias binding to the neckline. But this was a little too long and now the bias binding stands proud of the neckline rather than flat to the body. Having got this far I was determined to carry on.

The combination of print and plain on the sleeves seemed to work OK but I had the devil of a job inserting the sleeves into the armholes. I ended up with a small box pleat at the shoulder seam which makes the garment look “homemade” rather than “handmade”.

I am very disappointed with the garment so it will be consigned to the “charity” bag with immediate effect.