Washi love

Oh my! I was so excited when Rae released her Washi tunic/dress pattern. She teased us with Washi week and by the end of it, I was just so eager to make the top. I purchased the pattern right away and set to work on my muslins. 

I was really happy that one of them fit without needing any adjustments. I debated among several fabrics, including some Jay McCarroll Habitat, Nani Iro double gauze, some floral-y orange fabric that I got from Jo-Ann's and then this one, which I thought was a Kaffe Fassett, but apparently is Brandon Mably. 

I LOVE THIS TOP!

I rarely make garments for myself, so I didn't realize how hard it is to take self pictures. To get the full tunic in, I had to go headless :)

I felt kind of funny taking this shot below... I didn't know what to do with my hands, so I grabbed my Washi garland. Washi garland with my Washi tunic, love it!

Let me be a little more specific about why I love this top/pattern:
-The pattern is SO easy to follow. I consider myself an advanced beginner when it comes to garments and had no trouble following Rae's pattern. She makes you feel skilled (and you probably are!), but in my case, it's just a reflection of her excellent instructions.
-Rae gives lots of tips and alternative options along the way. For example, rather than use bias tape on the sleeves, I opted to just hem them. I realize this is not as pretty, but I wanted to finish and wear it asap AND no one should be looking that close at my arm holes anyway... other than baby girl and she won't mind :)
-The cut of the top is flattering. I'm 3 months post partum and appreciate the generous cut of the waist/hip area.
-The shirring on the back allows you to get this over your head and allows for some flexibility in sizing. Genius, Rae, genius!
-Oh and timing-- it took me about 3 hours to trace, cut and sew my top. This didn't include my muslin time but that was pretty quick. I appreciate the somewhat instant gratification of making this top!

My only warning is that if you are as excited to make this pattern as I was, you may want to be careful around your sewing area. I managed to hit my backside on my sewing table when I popped up from tracing my pattern on the floor. Fine sore back. But then I also managed to slide across the floor when I stepped on my difficult-to-see quilting ruler... and that didn't agree with my non-flexible self. I'm rarely this clumsy, so I am chalking this up to my Washi excitement. So.... just control your excitement otherwise you may get a few bumps and bruises along the way :)

And now I am thinking I need to make a Washi dress in the orange-y floral. Maybe I will have my own Washi week...