Wednesday, May 6, 2009

David's First Tunic

It is hard to believe my baby boy is old enough for this, but he is!
I gave up trying to get all the outfits for the boys made by Friday and instead am trying to just get one outfit apiece done. To that end, I picked a tunic style that looked fast and easy and went with it. I am unsure about the correctness of the style, construction, etc. but will post a question about this on the Sewing Academy to see what more knowledgeable people have to say. I didn't have much time to research boys tunic styles and found very few images of little boys wearing this particular style and it was hard to judge exactly how to make it based on the few photos. I most definitely "winged it". I ended up using the basic jewel necked bodice pattern I used for his green wool dress last year. His wool dress still fit him so I didn't need to make changes as far as making it bigger. I lengthened it and made it an A-line shape from the armpit down. The back opening was changed to a front opening and I refined the armscye drop a little. The bias band at the bottom was a last minute necessary addition since the tunic turned out a bit too short. To carry on the bias-y theme I cut the belt on the bias as well. Taking inspiration from the tunics on Originals by Kay, I put self fabric belt loops at each side seam to help hold the belt in place. I think the belt is a bit too wide but I can easily fix that when I have a little spare time.

I was a little more confident making the trousers. They are cut like drawers and open at each side with a placket. The front waistband buttons to the back waistband. They were pretty simple and didn't take more than an hour and a half. They still slide down David's waist though and I'm afraid of them sliding completely off. His waist measure is bigger than his hip measure (due to his belly) so I don't know what to do to keep them up. Ideas??
I dressed him this afternoon while his brothers napped (David seems to have grown out of naps, of late) and tried to take some pictures of him. He kept running away and was not interested in the camera whatsoever, but here are a few I did get!

We were outside maybe a half hour at most and already there is a grass stain on one knee! Oh well! Boys will be boys!

Love,

Sarah

5 comments:

  1. Sarah, great job! Could you button his pants to his chemise/shirt? Or just pin them for the time being maybe.....

    Paris

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  2. Love this! I really like the fabric you chose. Sometimes, when making historical clothing, a little boy's outfit can come out too feminine. I will never forget photos of my nephew in a lilac plaid romper. He had lots of golden curls and could have been the prettiest girl imaginable in that little suit! Your fabric choices keep things historical, but also more boyish.

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  3. I love this suite! It's adoreable. He looks so handsome and is getting so big. God Bless!

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  4. So cute. And grass stains make it more authentic, right? ;-)

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  5. Dear Sarah,
    I'm so enjoying your blog with pictures of your wonderfully made clothing.
    You are a blessed woman with such a sweet family.

    God richly bless you real good,
    ~Deanna~

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Thank you for your lovely thoughts!