A few weeks before the Portland Quilt Market show, I fell in love. My hubby didn’t mind . . . because it was just fabric – again! Fabric love led to fabric obsession and now there’s a GIVEAWAY you can enter! (Info at the end of this post.)
As I was cruising Instagram one night I made a sudden, full stop at a picture of the absolutely gorgeous Rose Garden Embrace® Double Gauze Ellen from Shannon Fabrics posted. My eyes met the roses, my sewing heart crushed and beat loudly and it was true, embraceable love at first sight. Such a stunning fabric!!
Ellen had the Pink version of the roses and offered to send me some to sew up. (Have I told you how much I love my sewing industry friends!?!) She wisely suggested the Cobalt version for me, I suggested we stage a twinning event at Quilt Market and the FUN had begun!
Ellen used Elaine Heigl’s Simplicity 8603 for her Pink Rose Garden Embrace™ Tunic along with, as she said, “luscious, soft knit bias tape from Vintage Door”. I love that trim!! And, it’s on my “must have” list now. You can check it out on the Vintage Door Etsy Shop!
The Event Begins
The Cobalt Rose Garden Embrace arrived on my door step about a week later and it was even more gorgeous out of the box than online! But, what to make? There were so many possibilities. Dress? Skirt? Jacket? Blouse?
And, I’m thrilled with how it turned out! It was perfect for a day at Quilt Market and functioned quite well when I met Sew News Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Ellen March. My tunic was thrilled to have a chance to pose with Indygo Junction owner/founder, Amy Barickman. And, it performed SO well for my twinning event with Ellen at the Shannon Fabrics booth. Best of all, it cast a halo over my head in the picture taken by Rhonda from Schmetz Needles. You just can’t ask for more than that!
I really want you to try this pattern! It’s one of those that always gets compliments, is always comfortable and as mentioned, it’s always easy to make. So, let’s take a look at a few details . . .
Urban Tunic Pocket Pro Tips
As I keep saying, the Urban Tunic is super-easy to cut out and put together. One front, one back, two pockets, two armhole facings and the cowl piece – that’s it. And, the way the pocket is done is really, really cool!
Now that’s it’s been a year, I can confess that I totally messed up the pockets on my first Urban Tunic. Because . . . I skipped the instructions and thought I knew what I was doing. Let me save you from that!
- Follow the instructions. They know what they’re talking about and they are your friends.
- This will help. . . The back of the pocket is the piece you will cut. (I serged around mine to finish the edge.) The front of the pocket is the front of the dress.
- Mark the side seams accurately with the dots on the pattern pieces. This leaves the opening for your pocket.
- Notch, fold and press the side seam pocket opening carefully.
- Stitch the side seams to the pocket markings carefully!
True Confession: Mine are stitched too far down and will need to be undone. If I ever gain weight in my hands, they won’t fit in my pockets anymore. And, if I stash money or chocolate in there – lack of access would be tragic!
The Rest of the Tunic Truth
There’s nothing else tricky about the Urban Tunic, but here are a few more notes.
- I increased the width at the side seams a bit more than my previous tunic, but now it seems like too much. Another re-adjustment I’d like to make. What do you think?
- I added extra length so it would be dress length. It hasn’t been quite warm enough in the Pacific Northwest and I haven’t tried it as a dress yet, but I think I’m going to love it.
- The instructions call for sewing on one layer of the cowl, then folding it down and hand stitching the second layer to the inside. That didn’t appeal to me, so I folded the cowl WST and stitched both layers on together.
- Embrace® Double Gauze has just enough stretch to it that I was able to leave the back zipper out.
The Disappearing Rose Garden
2026 Update: So, the twinning was really fun, but Shannon Fabrics no longer produces double gauze. You will still find some beautiful double gauze fabrics available, though from other manufacturers.
Thanks for hanging out for a while in my Sewful Life. Keep sewing with joy and I’ll see you soon!
Moment of Further Truth: The Rose Garden Embrace® Double Gauze was provided to me by Shannon Fabrics. This post includes affiliate links and I may receive a small payment if you make a purchase using those links. Thank you if you do – it helps to keep The Sewful Life stitching along and I sincerely appreciate your support. All opinions are solely and truly mine and I only gush about things I love!