Reversible Lane Raglan Tunic

My first #2018makenine project is complete! And I'm only a few weeks into the year haha! This tunic was love immediately, then I tweaked it and it became even harder love. I've worn it about ten times already and it's only been done for a week, so...figure that one out.

There is nothing better than a warm, snuggly sweatshirt in the dead of winter, except of course a warm, snuggly ~stylish~ sweatshirt. After a friend's suggestion, I decided to try the Lane Raglan with a French terry, and hack it a bit for tunic length. I used an amazing cotton/modal "salt and pepper" French terry that I got from The Fabric Store. The modal gives it wonderful drape and softness, and the cotton keeps it warm. Seriously, RUN to their website and buy a million yards of it.

The "right" side of the fabric is a plain grey, but the "wrong" or looped side is a super cool black and white. When I started this tunic I decided to make the looped side the right side because I liked the colors better. When I finished the garment, I realized that it wasn't as warm as it could be since my loops were facing out (the loops are what trap warm air and keep it close to your skin). So, I grabbed my fancy new Brother PC-420PRW, flipped the tunic inside out, and topstitched down all my serged seams. Yes, even the length of the side seams all the way up to the sleeve cuff (not easy, but not impossible!).

Smooth side out

I used black thread in the bobbin and grey on top. The grey blended into my grey serger thread, and the black basically disappeared in the salt and pepper loops. The hem was done with black thread in my coverstitch, but I think it works fine both ways for a casual sweatshirt.

Loop side out

One accidental modification I made was to the sleeve length. The pattern includes directions for a thumbhole cuff, and in that case you need the sleeve to be extra long. I accidentally cut the extra long sleeve length and added a regular cuff. I could have gone back and fixed it, but after a day of wear I didn't mind the length.

After all the topstitching, the tunic is now reversible! On a cold day, I can wear it "loops in" and for a warmer one, "loops out". Either way, it pairs perfectly with my Sloomb wool leggings, which hardly ever leave my body.

To make the Lane Raglan pattern a tunic, I added 4" of length starting at the waist. I traced my pattern up until that point, then moved my pattern piece down 4", while also moving it OUT to grade out the side seams. In other words, it's 4" longer and also a few inches wider from the waist down. I made a size small. Generally, I stay away from raglans because I think they have to be tight-fitting to avoid silly looking fabric folds around the shoulders and bust. It's fine for a sweatshirt, but I can't see myself with a closet full of Lane Raglan t-shirts like a lot of sewists. I'll stick to my Union St. tees for that!

Despite my dislike of the way they fit, raglans are SO fast to sew, they're hard to resist. I could see more of these in my future if the right fabric comes along.