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I’m always on the hunt for unusual shapes or details in the clothing that I make, so lately I’ve been thinking about trying out some Lagenlook (“layered look”) clothing (see here for some background and examples). Something a little bit drapey and fluid, to be worn with bold jewelry and flat shoes–right up my alley.
So I decided to give the Willara tunic a try.
This pattern was a free download when it was first released (and, seriously, if you like this sort of thing, you should be following the Boho Banjo blog–she’s got some very cool stuff on there), and you better believe I downloaded it as soon as I saw it. The pattern’s designed for knits, but I decided to make a muslin with some rayon challis my mother gave me, and see if it would work with that.
I knew that wide neckline was going to be a problem for shoulder-free me, so I brought it in by an inch or so, then cut out a medium in my muslin fabric. And ran into my first problem–the fabric requirements on this pattern are not accurate. I had a bit more fabric than the pattern said I would need, and I had nowhere near enough to cut any sleeves at all, much less the 3/4 length ones I wanted. EDIT: please read my statement below regarding fabric requirements for this pattern; in short, the fabric requirements are correct for 44″-wide fabric, but will not be sufficient for anything even a few inches narrower than that. Be sure to check!
So I cut just the front and back and sewed them up. The instructions are in a bit of a rough state; I wonder if the pattern was given to testers before release. For example, the cutting instructions have you cut two back pieces, but the sewing instructions tell you to cut one (even though there’s a back seam in the line drawings). Not a problem for me, but would be for a noob sewer. Also, the instructions say that “ALL SEAM ALLOWANCES ARE 1CM (3/4”).” Um, no. I wasn’t paying enough attention and sewed them at 3/4″, then had to rip and resew at 1/4″ to get the right fit.
But the fit was good, so I cut my “real” fabric, sewed it up with 1/4″ seam allowances, and decided to use my muslin as a lining for the body of the tunic. The neckline was still a little bit wide for me–I think adding the sleeves pulled it down a bit–so I added binding to the neck edge.
Here’s a shot of the lining.
I really love how this turned out; the fabric is so soft and so beautiful and I just love the shape of the top. This is exactly what I wanted–something a little bit unusual, with lots of rich color and an interesting shape, without looking costumey or over the top (it’s easy to go a little overboard with the whole layering thing, especially if you’re short, and wind up looking like your closet exploded on you ).
If you make the Willara, though, be aware that the sizing is unusual. I went by my bust measurement and made a medium and it pretty much fits me perfectly. Folks, I haven’t worn a medium anything since I hit puberty, damn near 40 years ago. I wear an 18 in RTW, 20 to 24 in big 4 patterns, which is nowhere near a medium. And I made this in a woven, when the pattern is meant for knits. Also, I’m 5’4″ and typically have to cut at least a couple of inches off things I make; I didn’t adjust the tunic length or sleeve length on this at all, so it’s going to need adjusting if you’re tall.
But, whatever, I love this top! And, please note, this is FINISH #6 for the 2015 Finish-Along. WOOT!
STH
ETA 03/14/16: I finally got around to checking the fabric requirements for this pattern again (Pearl Red Moon, I’m so sorry that it’s taken me so long to do this–I’ve been having a difficult time lately and things are not getting accomplished around here–many, many apologies to you!)
I’m going to qualify what I wrote regarding fabric requirements for this pattern: I think that two yards IS sufficient to make this top, but ONLY if your fabric is at least 44″ or 45″ wide. I laid out the pattern pieces on 42″-wide fabric and it wasn’t wide enough for the pattern pieces to fit within the 2-yard piece–you need at least another couple inches of fabric width to get them in there. So the cutting diagram is correct for 44″-wide fabric, but make sure that’s what you actually have, because you won’t have enough fabric if yours is actually 42″. Now, 44″-wide fabric is not very common in the U.S. in my experience (42″ is much more typical), but the pattern is intended for knits or drapey fabrics such as rayon, which are usually wider than that, so realistically, few users of the pattern are going to have this problem. I think what happened in my case was that my muslin fabric was a unusual narrower than 44″-wide rayon, so 2 yards of it wasn’t enough for me to cut sleeves.
I apologize to Pearl Red Moon for my inaccurate criticism of the pattern and have edited the post to reflect my change of heart.
Living in Color 
Fantastic match of fabric to pattern. You look lovely in this beautiful top.
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Oh, how kind–thank you! It makes me feel pretty, which is okay with me. 😉
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Very nicely done… The shaping is unique and lovely!
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Thanks so much! I definitely want to make more in this style–it’s so cool. 😉
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As a lover of lagenlook, I must say, this tunic is lovely. The fabric is awesome.
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Thank you! I had forgotten how beautiful–and wonderful to wear–rayon challis can be! The fabric has a nice weight to it (and wrinkles very little!) and the colors are just gorgeous.
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Lovely job and beautiful choice of fabric too!
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Thanks so much! Now I just need to find an excuse to wear it. 😉
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Oh, that looks very nice. Love the fabric.
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Thanks! It is SO soft! I’m glad I lined it to make hang better and feel a little warmer, though.
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It looks beautifully soft and drapey! Thank you for participating in the FAL, on behalf of the 2016 global FAL hosts.
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Thank you and thank you for the FAL–it’s really helping me to stay focused on what I need to get done!
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It looks great! I was presuming the seam allowance error is just the metric/imperial conversion error – as 1cm is nowhere near 3/4 inch – it’s 0.4inch – is this the seam allowance you ended up using or did you really use 1/4inch (0.25)? – that seems so tiny!! Re sizing – I’ve noticed that in most of her clothes I’d be a small, whereas normally I’m large or extra large, so yes she seems to be assuming that her clothes are for a larger client. I missed the free download, but I’ve been thinking I of buying this one – thanks for giving me the opportunity to see it made up!
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Thank you! Yep, I used 1/4″ seam allowances because I wanted a bit more ease; they are small, but I guess I’m used to doing them from making quilts. 😉
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Hi STH
I was delighted to see your Willara top featured as a monthly make on the Curvy Sewing Collective blog and followed the link to find your review.
Thank you for a very fair and even handed critique of my pattern. I was mortified when you picked up mistakes in the text and measurements and have immediately corrected, updated and re-published the pattern this morning. I had a team of 9 testers test the pattern and they pointed out a number of errors that were corrected in advance of publication so I’m baffled how I let that one through about the instruction for cutting one Back.
As for the mistakes in regard to the fabric quantities – that reflected my brain boggling confusion in trying to do the conversions between metric and imperial and all the weirdness of trying to get my head around the old fashioned fractions, rather than decimal points. This is something I’ve become much more adept and capable with as I’ve gone on to publish more patterns. The metric quantities stated in the pattern were correct but not all the imperial conversions in some cases. When I published Willara I also didn’t understand that it’s more conventional to state the fabric quantities in yards and inches rather than just inches so that is something I’ve taken on board.
By the way, it does say at the top left corner of the pattern that Willara can be made in either woven or knit fabrics. As you discovered with your beautiful rayon version if the fabric has good drape it will look fabulous.
Thanks for your very fair review STH. I’m always grateful to get positive feedback like this and…obviously!….more than happy to correct any inaccuracies in the instructions. It’s amazing that after 9 testers (some making several versions) over a year ago, 2 other reviews and nearly a 1000 downloads of this pattern that you’re the first to pick up these problems….eagle eyes, huh!!!
best wishes and keep up the good work!
Pearl Moon
Boho Banjo, Murrurundi, Australia
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Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting! You are, of course, correct that the pattern states that a drapey woven can be used instead of a knit. And, yes, I do seem to have an eye for details, for good or ill. 😉
I did receive the updated version of the pattern, and I thank you for that. I see in the instructions that you’ve changed the fabric requirements to yards instead of inches, and changed the instructions to specify that two back pieces should be cut. However, the seam allowance is still given as 1 cm or 3/4″, there is still no mention of sewing the back seam in the construction steps, and the fabric requirements for 44″ wide fabric are still incorrect. When I made my muslin, I had 2 yards and 6 inches of 44″-wide fabric and there was not enough fabric for sleeves (the pattern says I should have been able to cut a top with 3/4-length sleeves from 2 yards of 44″-wide fabric). And I know, just from experience, that a long tunic like this with 3/4-length sleeves in my size will need more like 3 yards.
I do love the tunic and very much appreciate you offering the pattern to your followers for free. Many thanks.
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Hi again
Sorry to be a pain in the arse – I thought I’d blabbed on long enough in my first comment and was going to avoid making any comment about Boho Banjo sizing….but on reflection I’ve changed my mind.
A seemingly simple and straightforward issue such as choosing a garment “size” to construct can actually be extrapolated into lots of extraordinarily complex issues encompassing ideological, political, sociological and subjective viewpoints. Personally I take the “sizing” issue very seriously and as an ardent feminist its something I’ve decided to take a somewhat political stance on. As a large person, in my view, If we don’t empower ourselves to make the change that we believe is reasonable then don’t expect the status quo to hear or care.
I expect some women reading my commentary here might think I’m a bit extreme but these are my honest observations of our current world.
FAT IS A FEMINIST ISSUE.
The size of your body and the adipose deposits you’ve accumulated influence what people think about you. Sadly, there tends to be an inverse ratio of respect given – the thinner you are the more people will assume you’re attractive, intelligent and physically fit and vice versa.
Commercial printed patterns have only been available for less than 100 years and it was a practical necessity to create a system of sizing to be able to market them. During the early 20th C when this was being developed for various sociological reasons the majority of female body sizes were clustered into a much uniform size range. This changed radically in the latter part of the 20th C when the “majority” began to gravitate upwards in sizing, in both tallness and breadth. In the last few decades the old standards have hardly any rationality to them anymore as the average womens size is now what would have been in the uppermost size 50 years ago. What would have fitted the average woman in in 1965 would more than likely fit a 12 year old now…
The point I’m trying to make here is that in our modern world where we have too much nutrition and too little physical activity all people are a LOT bigger than the era when the standard sizes were developed.
What I regret, is that some people equate large body with a judgement that the person is unattractive, unintelligent, ill disciplined and undeserving of respect. Body size and fat deposits have become a social issue. Body shaming comments are often used as a way to control or silence women. This is not just unfair, its absolutely wrong and must be resisted. Its not large people (of any gender) that need to change – but the perception and social construct that there’s something morbid about excess fat deposits.
This is some of the rationale for why I’ve created my own subjective system of sizing for my pattern business Boho Banjo. I’m still not completely comfortable about it. I intensely dislike the terms SMALL, LARGE, XLARGE, etc. as they are still redolent with stereotyping and judgement. However it had to be a practical capitulation to an extent as something had to be instigated that could be quickly and easily recognised by the pattern user.
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Not at all a pain in the arse! I completely agree with you, and I think there needs to be a LOT more discussion of the way in which we discuss, judge, and value women’s bodies. And what size you wear is a complex and fraught issue for many women, especially us large-size women. I’m not at all going to criticize the sizing system you’re using, but I did want to point out to readers that they should pay attention to it, because it may not be what they’re used to. I know some sewers have the habit (a bad one, as far as I’m concerned) of cutting patterns according to the size they think they SHOULD be, rather than looking carefully at finished garment measurements, design ease, and that sort of thing. That’s why I used the word “unusual,” to get them to consider their measurements, rather than their size, as a guide to choosing what size to cut.
You might consider using a lettering system (I think it’s Sandra Betzina patterns for Butterick that do this?) instead of sizes for your patterns. Then women could cut an F or a G, rather than a large or extra-large; this has the advantage of encouraging sewers to actually take their measurements, and base their sewing on them, as well as avoiding the whole bunch of angst associated with being a certain size.
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Hi again STH
I’m so glad you’re on my case – heh!
I’ve been much more thorough about checking up on ALL your points this time. Yes indeed – I hadn’t corrected the blunder about 1cm corresponding to 3/4″, it is in fact equivalent to 3/8″. #2, I had still omitted to write up the step to seam the Backs together, and this has now been done. All good!
However – the point I was most anxious about, the fabric allowance being insufficient, I’ve had a careful look at and hope I can get you to check again and if you still come to the same conclusion I’ll check again and get someone to oversee how I’m getting it wrong. The fabric allowances are worked out in a computer program (Illustrator) in scaled actual size and then confirmed when the printed pattern can be cut in the stated quantity of fabric. Today I repeated both processes to check (well, just laid the pattern pieces out on fabric) and they are correct according to those exercises. I tested with the Large pattern pieces and and there was no problem fitting it onto 2 yards of 44″ wide fabric.
Did you notice that the cutting layout diagrams for the 44″ wide fabric specify to cut from a SINGLE LAYER of fabric, rather than the doubled? Some of the other layouts are for doubled fabric. I’m a pedantic about fabric waste and always try to give the most economical quantity possible which is why I don’t always suggest the quicker method of cutting doubled fabric.
However, I may have this wrong too and hope you’ll run your eagle eyes over the pattern so we can come to understand where the discrepancy is arising.
Thanks heaps for your suggestion to look at Sandra Betzinas sizing system. That is a brilliant solution. I’l definitely look into it!
Actually I would have preferred to write privately for this discussion but as you don’t give a contact for direct emailing I had to write in this public forum…
STH – (I wish I knew your first name, it feels awkward addressing you like that) could I humbly beg you to test my next pattern as I appreciate your incisive skill with homing in on the details!
Please don’t hesitate to email me privately if you prefer – pearl@upstairs-art.com.au
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I would LOVE to be a tester for you! And I may very well be wrong about the fabric requirements; I’ll try and make some time this week to lay the pattern out again and see how much fabric is needed. Sorry about not having my e-mail address on the site–I’m not very tech-y, and that’s one of those things I’ve been meaning to figure out and never have. It’s livingincolorblog (at) outlook (dot) com and please let me know when you need a nit-picky tester. 😉
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Pearl Red Moon, just wanted to make sure you saw my edit to this post–I think my muslin fabric was just a bit narrower than the 44″ needed to get the top out of 2 yards of fabric. I have edited the post to reflect that and I sincerely apologize for the error on my part.
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I like the top and its unusual sides on you. I have a similar pattern that I’ve been putting off using because of the different sides. Now that I know what it looks like made up on a figure similar to mine I think I’ll make it up. I just wanted to also add I’m a big fan of Sandra Betzina’s as I took a Craftsy class from her on cutting on the bias and she was such a wonderful teacher and I appreciate her pattern sizing. Her class came with a really nice skirt and top Vogue pattern and was really worth it.
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Thanks! Yeah, definitely try it; I think it’s a pretty silhouette and is a quick style to make. I’m a fan of Sandra Betzina’s, too–I feel like her patterns are shaped like me, which is not a very common feeling for me!
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