Friday, March 5, 2010

Pattern Review - Liverpool tunic

I finally finished my Amy Butler Liverpool Tunic. As I told you before, I was having trouble with my buttonhole attachment on my machine. What I finally did was get back to the basics! I made machine button holes the old fashioned way, adjusting my zigzag & doing a four step buttonhole.... practiced it a couple of times on scraps then did them on the tunic... & they came out great! Yay me! Sometimes it pays to go back to the way you were taught to do things in Home Ec. Anyways, here is the finished tunic on me....
It fits really well! This is the pattern I used. My local quilt store had one made up & on display, they ordered the pattern for me.... I will say that Amy Butler's patterns are expensive, I think I paid $16 for this one? I know, part of it is that we are paying for the name. But this pattern is very well done, very detailed. I found the instructions easy to follow. However, I will say that this is NOT a beginner pattern. There are a lot of details in this tunic. Front and back darts, set in sleeves, back ties, a collar with a separate stand.... just to name a few. Oh, and the infamous buttonholes, which should not have been tricky but they were!

The pattern comes with all of the sizes & several different lengths from a blouse to dress length (I made the tunic length). The sleeve length can also be changed (I went with the elbow length sleeve & I really like it. Whenever I do 3/4 sleeves, they seem like they are too long for 3/4 & too short to be long! Does that make sense?). The version I made took 4 yards of fabric. I decided to make it from a less expensive fabric that I found at Joanns (with a 50% off coupon no less!) to be sure it fit before I made it with designer fabric. And I LOVE the fabric I used! I think I might make another in a springier print.... still deciding if I will spring for actual Amy Butler fabric.... it is lovely but so expensive!
So I thought you'd enjoy seeing the final product. I expect to wear it a lot, with jeans or dress pants... I do recommend this pattern to advanced-beginner seamstresses. You won't be disappointed!


3 comments:

Nancy said...

I love your tunic. It looks just right for me. Will try to order the pattern from her web site. It is expensive but can be used many times over. I would probably put in pockets too. Good work!

Sewjoe said...

Love the fabric you chose. Cute style.

Teresa aka MarieSews said...

I have steered clear of the Amy Butler patterns for a number of reasons, price being one, but after seeing your beautiful tunic, I may have to try that pattern.

I agree with you about 3/4 sleeves. I either want to push them up or pull them down. They're never quite in the right place.