{"id":34585,"date":"2016-02-17T07:30:56","date_gmt":"2016-02-17T14:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/?p=34585"},"modified":"2016-02-16T22:25:49","modified_gmt":"2016-02-17T05:25:49","slug":"sew-easy-polar-fleece-toddler-tunic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/sew-easy-polar-fleece-toddler-tunic\/","title":{"rendered":"Sew Easy Polar Fleece Toddler Tunic"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sew<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Every time I make<\/strong> a polar fleece poncho, I have enough fabric left over for at least one toddler sized one tunic. Not that I had made any before this Christmas. I have made ear muff headbands<\/a><\/span> and convertible mittens<\/a><\/span> and hats and gators, but this fall it dawned on me that I needed to make tunics for the grandkidlets. I came up with a very satisfactory way to sew them that should work from any pattern, including if I every want to use the same idea for a larger size. (click on any photo to enlarge)<\/em><\/p>\n

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1. Find a basic, loose fitting long sleeve shirt or sweat shirt pattern. The one I had that was closest to this was designed for shoulder closures, but I adjusted this out of the pattern as I traced off of it, so that I could just sew the shoulder seams. I used a size one for all three girls.<\/p>\n

2. Decide or estimate how long of a slit is needed in the front to allow for ease of getting the tunic on and off. I admit to eye-balling this, but it might be more accurate if you measured your victim’s head circumference, then added a couple inches for ease. The neck opening circumference plus the slit perimeter should end up very close to this calculation when it is all sewn together. Since this is not a stretchy fabric, it is better to err on the side of too much ease. It is just a tunic and something else will be worn underneath.<\/p>\n

3. Create a pattern piece for the front facing by tracing the front pattern piece from the neck line to the shoulders, then add a couple inches of shoulder width and draw a wide wedge down about 2.5 inches past where the end of the slit will be. Look at the photos below for the basic shape I used. I didn’t get the first couple of facing pieces cut up to the shoulders as well as I would next time, but I worked with that by sewing the edges under and then top stitching the whole facing down after I had made the slit.<\/p>\n

4. Cut the front facing out of a coordinating flannel, according to the pattern created in step 3. Also, cut a strip of bias tape out of the flannel. The bias strip needs to be long enough to go around the neck opening and have ends to fold under for a clean finish. I found that a width of 1.5 inches and 17 inches long worked for me.<\/p>\n

5. Finish the edges of the front facing as desired. I turned it under about 1\/4 inch to the wrong side and zig-zagged it in place. This way the raw edges would be covered when it was sewn to the shirt front later. There is no need to finish edges of the bias strip, as that will happen as part of the process of attaching it to the neckline.<\/p>\n

6. Make marks as necessary to center the facing over the tunic front, right sides together. Then, sew about 3\/8ths of an inch down one side of the slit site, continue by sewing a square the end just enough to get you to the other side of the slit site, then sew back up the other side.<\/p>\n

7. Now, carefully cut straight in the middle between the parallel stitchings, but STOP about 1\/4 inch from the bottom. Here, cut diagonally to each corner, but do NOT cut through the stitching.<\/p>\n

8. After a bit of finger pressing, understitch the narrow seam to the facing on each side of the slit, as far down as you can without creating any bunching or catching other fabric as you sew. This will really help the slit lay flat.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This is what the understitching on the slit will look like on the right side of the facing, which will still be the inside of the garment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9. Top stitch the slit all the way around, about 1\/8th inch from the edge. This will reinforce the bottom of the slit, the weakest point and the area subject to the most stress. And it will make the slit lay even better.<\/p>\n

10. I like my facings to stay put, so I pinned the facing flat and topstitched all along the outer edge. I did this working from the inside of the garment, since it was most important that it lay flat. The outline would look neat from the front as long as I maintained fairly straight lines.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The facing is pinned to the inside of the tunic front after the slit has been completed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"And<\/a>
And I sew along the edges to hold it down.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

11. \u00a0Sewing the shoulder seams is next. As with most of my seams, I also use a zig-zag stitch in the 1\/4 inch of the seam allowance, right inside the main seam. Then, I trim the remaining fabric beyond that and top stitch the seam to one side.<\/p>\n

12. It is easiest to finish the neckline at this stage, because it can be laid flatter under the sewing machine. (see photos that will follow to help visualize the steps)<\/p>\n