Nell Tunic Top

I went on a Girl's Night Out with a friend up in the Bay Area recently. We took the opportunity to stop by some of our favorite crafting destinations, including A Verb for Keeping Warm in Oakland. I believe they started out as a knitting emporium but they've added some very nice fabrics, as well as a few sewing patterns. We went through the store like a whirlwind because our parking meter was about to run out and we'd already gotten one $60 parking ticket that morning.

I tried on a sample of one of their patterns, the Nell tunic. It's not my usual style, but I kind of fell in love with it. So I bought a copy, even though it's pricier than most of my pattern purchases. And here it is, made up in a Kaffe Fassett shot cotton.

It's like a flashback to the poetry-and-flowers-in-the-field hippie days of my youth.

I so want to buy a bunch of embroidery floss and go to town on that yoke.

The pattern sizing is kind of non-standard. They list the sizes by finished measurements, ranging from a 37" bust to a 47" bust and recommend 4-6 inches of wearing ease. I made up the smallest size for my 35ish inch bust, so I'm sporting a closer fit than advised. But it's comfortable to wear and easy enough to pull off and on, so I'm happy.

The pattern has a couple of details that kick it up a notch from your basic tunic. During construction I noticed that the yoke front includes some princess seam shaping so that the fit isn't quite as blousey and overwhelming as tunics can sometimes be. There's also a cute curved notch detail on the back neck and cuff.

Those cuffs are a tempting canvas for embroidery too, don't you think?

The gathers at the bottom of the front yoke give it a bit of a pregnant lady vibe. I think I'll try subbing in a couple small pleats for my next version.

I'm on a continuing quest for go-to woven top patterns. The Nell might be among the contenders. I do want to make up another version for sure. I have some ikat cotton upstairs from my Indonesian bonanza from Molly's mom. I'll try draping that on my Mini Me to see if it works.

My pattern review is on PaternReview.com here.