Today I’ve got a few more entries for my Spring Sudoku Wardrobe Capsule, perfect for you sleepy orange kitty cats!

This post is a two-for-one… and both of these pieces weren’t in my original plan. Initially I knew I wanted to make my lime green linen into a cute, shorter dress, perfect for layering over slip dresses. I’ve also been a bit obsessed with pinafore dresses lately. After flipping through the available Tina Givens PDF patterns, I was drawn to the Patricia tunic, since it has a sassy slit up one side {pinafore light!}, perfect for layering  and ties that give it a bit of shape at the waist. I decided to try the Patricia Skirt, too. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d like it that much, but I liked the idea of full pattern utilization! So I went all in with the Patricia Skirt and Tunic.

Let’s dig in, lots to cover!

The Linen Mint’n’Toile Patricia Tunic

First up is the Patricia Tunic. This little lovely is a basic bodice, Tina Givens style, which means bad drafting and no shaping. No worries, because you can just cinch the hell out of the waist with the ties and ignore the giant, gaping armscyes. You know. If that’s how you roll. 

I went all out with the tunic and actually did the gathering and patches that the pattern called for. Honestly ladies and orange cats, the ‘fake patches’ are a little too precious for me. I grew up reading the Fountainhead, and while Ayn Rand may not be my political hero, I have it quite instilled in my head that a column should actually support the structure.

Are you picking up what I’m laying down?

Nevertheless, here’s some details of this so-precious tunic.

First off, some fun folds. Normally I just fold and stitch. These were a bit more thought out with me folding and pinning and stitching with the stitchlines around 3/8″ apart. 

Next the slit. This skirt of the tunic has one side seam sewn up, the other bound and left open. This is a little convoluted, but I wanted the waist pleats to be just off the center front and center back because I think a lot of gathering on my center front and back isn’t really flattering.  I didn’t pay attention at first, so the pleats were totally off-center on the front piece. Rather than restitch the pleats, I just flipped which side the slit was on and put the off center stuff on the back. So if you look at my pics, my slit is on the opposite side from what pattern calls for. The back of the dress is off-center with the pleating, the front more precise.

I ‘faced’ the slits with some toile — I cut a strip around 1″ wide, pressed in half, stitched raw edges together pressed the toile to the inside and topstitched down for some sassy toile peeking out…

I’m in love with putting my tags on patches lately, so I put the tag on a toile square and stitched it to the center back. 

And here’s a few shots of the Patricia Tunic full length. It really IS a great layering piece for over slipdresses and fun skirts. The linen I used is a nice, thick linen with good body, but not see through. The neck and arms were finished with bias binding that I stitched onto the right side, trimmed, turned to the inside and topstitched.

Prison Pinstripe Patricia Skirt 

The Patricia pattern includes a skirt that I have to admit I thought was a sort of an after-thought… but ladies, let me tell you: this skirt is the BOMBDIGGITY!! 

The Patricia Skirt is finished with an elastic waist. The ‘yoke’ section of skirt goes from the waist to roughly the top of the thighs, then the skirt portion is basically rectangles super duper gathered into the yoke. The pattern calls for binding the bottom of the skirt to create a poufy balloon effect, but I stitched a channel and threaded with elastic. I can’t say how much I love this skirt. SUPER easy to make, comfy and the perfect addition to a wardrobe that depends on layering!

Here’s a few snaps of the Patricia Tunic AND Skirt with and without a denim jacket add-on…

I added some fun to the hem. The fabric of the skirt is a lovely, lovely skilk pinstripe. I cut strips of fabric around 2″ x 12″ and stitched to the hem basically where my legs are — just off center front/back. After attaching, I went back and added a super loose basting stitch and gathered so that the gathers on the front are slightly shorter (i.e. raising the hem) than the back.

Some detail shots: 

Ladies, I cannot say how much I love this skirt. I have one million other skirts I want to make like this! I have some plans to use the Patricia Skirt to put some lovely silk chiffon in the limelight!

Here’s some pictures with the Patricia Skirt in play….

All-in-all, this is a fun pattern. The tunic isn’t my favorite — I really prefer bodice shaping (darts) and TG does not offer that up. The skirt, though. So. Good.

Final Details

Total Fabric used and cost… 

Tunic: 2 yards linen @ $9 a yard, thread $1, trim toile fabric $2

Skirt: 1.5 yards silk @$10 a yard, thread, $1, elastic for waist and hem $3

Pattern: $15

Total $55 for the whole outfit ($21 for the tunic,  $19 for the skirt + $15 pattern)

Total time… around 6 hours for the tunic, 6 for the skirt

Pattern rating… The Patricia Tunic and Skirt from Tina Givens – the Tunic gets a 1 – bad drafting, bad fitting, hard to place pleats so that they are centered. The skirt is super easy and I love, so it gets a 5. Overall = 3

Curvy girl rating…5…  The tunic really isn’t my thing, but not terrible The skirt rules my entire world so I basically love this pattern.

Liklihood to make again… Plan on eight million more boring blog posts on the skirt. Not so much for the tunic.