One of my dearest friends just had a birthday, and I wanted to make her something cute. She lives too far to be my model, which is too bad because she will rock this piece when she wears it!
I followed my own Poncho Shirt Tutorial to make this, but made a few changes because of the length. I will walk your through it all. No biggie, I promise!
To begin, you will need 1.25 yards (45 inches) of 60 inch wide fabric. I suggest a knit fabric so it will stretch nicely. Also, many knits roll nicely on the edges, so you don't have to hem.
You'll also need elastic thread, and all-purpose coordinating thread.
1. Fold the fabric in half so it is 45" long by 30" wide (folded).
2. Cut along the fold, making two pieces, each 45x30". Lay it out with short sides on top and bottom.
3. Follow the instructions in Steps 2-7 of the Poncho Shirt Tutorial for making the neckline and shoulders.
4. Hem the neckline.
5. Cut a curve on each side of the base of the tunic, as shown. I cut one side, then folded it in half and used the cut side as a guide for cutting the other side. I also trimmed about 1.5 inches from each side of the tunic because I decided not to do a rolled hem. If you need to hem your edges, do that now, all the way around the bottom and sides.
6. Beginning 9 inches down and 4 inches in, pin through both front and back, 18 inches down the tunic, on both sides to make the arm holes and give shape to the piece.
7. With elastic thread in your bobbin, stitch along the pins, removing as you go. Tie off with a back stitch or two at the beginning and end.
8. With iron on lowest heat for fabric, press along the elastic to draw it up further, if desired.
With the fabric I chose, I liked the look best with a belt. I tried it with a jean jacket--also super cute for fall! So many possibilities here! And so easy to make!
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