My Finished Tunic from McCall Pattern M5009
August15
Here it is, my first handmade shirt.
Pattern: McCall M5009
Size: 28W tapered to 30W on bottom. (For the uninitiated, most pattern sizes have much higher numbers than ready-to-wear.)
Lessons Learned: The first rendition of this shirt was much too big and the shoulders hung halfway down my upper arm. If I had taken the time to try it on when I basted it, I would have saved myself a lot of seam ripping. A dress form would’ve helped more, and making the pattern from muslin first would have been best.
Will I Use This Pattern Again? Probably not. I love the shirt but once is enough.
And here I am with my messy little boy, Benjamin.
It looks great. I bought myself a sewing machine last year, but I have yet to actually make any clothes with it. I’ve got 2 sweaters on the needles, but I do believe the one will end up as a gift because I used the wrong yarn for it. lol
Looks great Jen! Keep up the good work!
Looks great! And what is up w/ the plus sizes patterns as of late? I too, ended up with a HUGE dress, by going off my measurements/pattern envelope size. **grin** and I too, should have basted first.
Looks great!
Do you use a serger or just a sewing machine? (i don’t have a serger and my machine drives me crazy sometimes…i think i pick the wrong material too)
anyhooooo…wicked job!
Looks great, and I love the fabric. A very happy day when the Fashion Police decided that it was cool to wear a tunic again - I’ve always thought they were a great look.
Thanks everyone!
I just have a sewing machine - no serger yet. I’m using one of the computerized Brother machines (bought from Amazon for about $150 or less.) A serger would be nice but I don’t think I complete enough projects to warrant one just yet.
And yes, I LOVE tunics!
Great blog and I love the shirt. I too am a fluffy gal and struggle to find great clothes. I pretend to know how to sew but have never really tried a pattern but will for sure visit your blog again when I decide to take that big step.
I think that looks just great!! I really like the colors/fabric you chose. Very nice
the fabrics and the colors are good, and also the little flowers, very lovely.
Cute tunic! I love the colors and pattern.
Jen
I love the tunic you look really good in it. I have sewed most of my life do to the fact that I hated big clothes that looked like a tent,
also if I may I have another subject I would like to ask you about I see that you acquired the Family Circle Crochet spring of 2007, there is a pattern for a crocheted purse in that issue that I would love to have and I cannot find the issue anywhere to purchase If you still own this mag would you be interested in selling it or at least the part that I am interested in? I am willing to pay premium price for it if you are willing to sell or even a copy of the pattern would be great
Please let me know one if it it possible,
thank you very much
Kathy Smith—-Central Indiana
katt3166@yahoo.com
I just purchased that pattern. I have small sholders. I am wondering how it will be on me. Just imagine small shoulders and a beach ball with legs and you have my shape. I would also like to have a dress form but they are so expensive and I would still have to pad them. Any suggestions on how we could get a dress form inexpensively let me know. I saw one woman used the wrapping the doctors use to mend a broken leg. It worked great it seems but it was pretty costly.
This sounds about perfect for me! What doesn’t work for women with normal vertical proportions, would fare well for me, because I have an insanely long trunk! I wish I could find a dress form that would mirror my body, but my proportions are so rare, it just wouldn’t be profitable for a company to produce them on anything but a custom basis. Guess I’m outta luck there! Even more frustrating is that most patterns are not designed for a woman with as broad a shoulders as mine. So, all the reasons for which I really need to make my own clothes are exactly the reasons it is so hard to find patterns that work for me. Even so, God blesses me above and beyond anything I could ever imagine!
Thank you for giving your evaluation of this specific pattern online, the way you did. I really appreciate it! To the lady with the brown tunic with the turquoise embroidery pattern and the adorable son, Benjamin: THANK YOU! Your challenging experience will, I hope, work to my benefit. You are greatly appreciated!
I have this pattern. I also had to adjust the droopy shoulders, but the measurements didn’t take me by surprise because I’ve been sewing even longer than I’ve been knitting. Sewing pattern measurements are “honest” - that is, they still conform to the industry-wide sizing standards that were established decades ago. Ready-to-wear manufacturers will print ANYTHING on a size tag to make the customer feel slim and happy. (And, of course, all thin women are ecstatically happy, aren’t they? Just look at Hollywood.) So I know what to expect from the sizing, and just from habit I measure and adjust for my short arms and narrow shoulders and spare tire and so on. I made the V-neck tunic, and found it was more open-to-the-public than I’m comfortable displaying, but I was able to put together a cowl-like drape from the material I was using for a contrast in a sort of evening wrap I made to go along with it. I made slacks of the same material. It was something of an undertaking, but anyway I now have a dressy suit that isn’t black, and that I can wear if somebody asks us to a formal event at night and I positively cannot get out of attending it.