Graphic Print Pocket Tunic

Every time I'm fabric shopping, Lotta Jansdotter's prints catch my eye.  But I haven't bought any...until this summer, when I found some in the outdoor clearance at Fabric Depot for only $4 a yard!  This print, while definitely recognizable as her work, is a bigger version of what I am usually drawn to, although the colors are right up my alley!  So when Project Sewn announced that one of the themes would be Graphic Prints, I knew it was time to cut into it!

Main fabric is Lotta Jansdotter Choma in Bermuda

I actually ended up sewing pretty much exactly what I imagined when I bought the fabric.  A loose tunic that can be belted for more shape, based on this tutorial from Made it on Monday that I pinned ages ago.  I kept it simple by leaving out the zipper in the back (the neckline was wide enough to not need one) and added on-seam pockets so I have a place to stash my stuff when I wear it with leggings.  I used a cotton blend jersey for the binding on the neckline and armholes, and bound it using this method from Kitschy Coo, although since the body of the tunic is a woven cotton instead of a knit I didn't stretch the jersey very much as I sewed it.  Both the band on the hem and the binding were scraps left over from other projects, so that kept this project inside a comfortable budget for me. I used about 1.5 yards of the main fabric, which wasn't quite enough to cut out the front and back panels in one big piece.  That (and because I liked the way it looked) is why there's a panel going the opposite direction in the back.

I think I might unpick that pleat at the back just an inch or two.

Using such a bold print meant paying a lot closer attention than I usually do to cutting the fabric symmetrically and lining things up with my pleats, etc.  I like the way the pleating changes the look of the pattern since I was careful to have things lined up just so--something not nearly as important when using solids or the little prints I am usually working with.

The full length effect

Just belt it! Cinch it!

So that's it!  Jump over here starting Friday 10/18 to view and vote for my graphic print look on Project Sewn, and in the meantime you can vote for the designers in the main contest starting Tuesday!