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[Rúnsær]

I made a tunic useing information and guidelines from three sources. 

Alrics thread on how to make a Bocksten tunic:
http://www.dagorhir.com/forums/index.php/topic,5902.0.html

Ilsa's good advice on the neckline faceing:
http://www.dagorhir.com/gear/content/garb/V-slashnecklinefacing.pdf

Stellaria's T-tunic article in www.incidentalpadding.com:
http://www.incidentalpadding.com/article.php?entry=211

In truth both Stellaria and Ilsa both gave me advice in Alric's thread too. 

I attempted my first tunic in Alric's thread and it was bad.  I had the body panel turned sideways when I put it together.  The neck was just hemmed and no faceing.  So I did some thinking and wondered if there was an easier way so I made another attempt but did not follow all of anyone set of instructions, but rather took the parts that worked best for me from each and gave it a try. 

I still don't know how to make all of the pictures work so I am attaching them in groups of 4 to each of the messages. 

The first picture is just the price tag.  I bought a queen size sheet at the salvation army thrift shop.  I picked a solid color.  Full size would have been good for me but they were not selling them that day. 
The second picture is me marking the sheet with chalk.  I wrote on the sheet with chalk figureing it would wash out easy.  I didn't have one of those fancy washout pens and I had chalk
The third is my sheet with the tunic measurements I got from Alric's thread drawn on.  I realized later that I had the underarm gussets off and I could cut out a wedge and sew the edges to fix that.
The fourth is the sheet opened up after I had drawn on the other side.  I touched a mark on the first side, felt for it on the second side and marked it too then drew lines.  I had made the bottom gores too wide and reduced them in length you can see my scratched out lines

[Rúnsær]

Then I figured I should make the neck opening, since I had been told plenty of times it was easier to do it before you do the rest.  I had chalk lines marking the shoulders and the centerline so I knew where it went.  However I mess up a lot so I figured it would be better to mark it on a piece of scrap fabric first and cut that out and test it.  That is the first picture in this post.

I did not like that it was an oblong, I was expecting a circle so I drew that out by shapeing  the neck of my t-shirt into a circle and traceing it.  So the second picture this time is a side by side of the two pieces I cut out.

The third pic I decided to try and see if the opening would fit over my head.  It did on the oblong, but I had cut the circle part too close to the edge.  I did not think it would fit anyway.  Silly pic of me with a scrap fabric with a neckhole cut out over my head

I decided to go with the oval shape.  I selected a dark fabric scrap left over from the wrap pants I made.  I decided to have the faceing on the outside so I wanted a contrast.  I did make a cardboard template like Ilsa, but only half of one like Stellaria.  I folded cloth in half and tried to keep the points where the curved parts of the template touched the fold at right angles so I did not have funny angles to deal with.  Sorry no picture for that. 

The fourth picture is the neck faceing I cut out useing the template I made.  I unfolded it and it looked really wide to me.  I sort of figured I would lose some in the seam allowances, so no worries.  I wanted to mark where to stich but both my marker and the cloth were dark and it was not showing up.  I rubbed some chalk around it and remarked and it showed enough I could use it. 
Why safety pins you might ask.  I get poked a lot less with them than regular pins.  My hands don't work the way I want them to on fine work a lot of times

[Rúnsær]

See the little device in the first picture?  I am not sure what the real name is but I am going with needle threader.  It does not make sense to me why it is easier to push a very skinny bent wire into the eye of a needle and so hard to push thread in, but it is.  If you are not familiar with this thing, go get one.  I got mine at the dollar store along with 3 needles and 30 spools of thread for $1.50. 

I did a running stich all the way around on the marks I made.  I stopped often and put in stopper knots because I don't like the way running stiches let the fabric bunch up.  I used backstiches on the corners and the ends like Stellaria said to.  Then I cut out the hole in the tunic, Ilsa recommended it. I can not say it is any easier than the other way because I did not try the other way.  I can say I believe it is easier.
 Clipped the inside, pulled it thru and pressed it down, folded the outside edges under and pressed them too.  I could not get the nice curve I wanted.  It kept makeing flat lines, so I just went with it.  I was working on the futon couch but it was a bit low, so I set a cardboard box on it for more height, you can see it thru the neck opening in the second picture. 

The outside edges I attached with an aplique stich.

I turned it back to inside out in the third picture and started cutting.  I suppose I could have done it on the main side, but I had already made all my marks on the wrong side.  So that is the third picture.  Sure is a lot of wasted material but I can find a use for some of it.  I used some to make longer ties in my wrap pants and figure some of it might be good for a necl faceing on another tunic or maybe to accent the cuffs or bottom hem.   I don't know, if nothing else I could patch a hole in this tunic.

I put french seams on all of the edges and hemmed the cuffs and bottom.  I used a machine to do the stiching.  I got my neice to take a few pictures for me and I think it is a lot better than my first attempt.  I thought about putting this in Alric's thread but I did not totally follow his instructions and I wanted to put up a bunch of pictures.

[Rúnsær]

Just a few more pictures side view, close up of the neck, back of the neck and flying squirrel pose.  I might make those gussets smaller next time.  I did think about ironing a crease and sewing very small stiches to make it look like I had done all of the work to make a proper Bocksten tunic.  Overall I am pretty happy with the result.  The material is a cotton/poly blend which is pretty easy to work with, but I am told it is too warm for summer.  I figure this will be good in late fall and winter.  I do live in northern lower Michigan.

[Ingvar the Ruthless]

Wow, that is a nice tunic! Congrats on a job well done.

[Thrud]

Wow, awesome, that is great!

[Arrakis]

Nicely done.

As you might suspect, you can just turn it inside out and draw a curve from the body panel on the side seam up to the arm seam near the elbow, deepening the curve to effectively reduce the size of the underarm gusset, then just stitch the line, cut the excess fabric, and finish the seam (zig-zag is easiest).  That will allow you to fit the tunic to you a little better. 

Remember, before you stitch and cut, though, to pin it up and try it back on (still inside out, so the pins don't get ya), to make sure it fits you just right.


Then, put a belt on and blouse it over the belt a bit.  Should look great!

If you want some more length on the bottom edge, don't be afraid to just grab an ~8" wide strip of some other fabric (the same as your neckhole facing is a great choice), hem one long edge, and seam it to the bottom edge of the tunic:



I felt like this tunic was too short and did that very thing; came out nicely, if I do say so myself.

[Rúnsær]

Thank you all for the support.  I like it a lot myself.

As you might suspect, you can just turn it inside out and draw a curve from the body panel on the side seam up to the arm seam near the elbow, deepening the curve to effectively reduce the size of the underarm gusset, then just stitch the line, cut the excess fabric, and finish the seam (zig-zag is easiest).  That will allow you to fit the tunic to you a little better. 

That I think is how it is in Stellaria's tutorial.  I was trying to make one like in Alric's without doing all of the work.  I wanted the underarm gussets to be there.  I used a machine for the long seams and a french seam is just make one seam on the right side, turn it inside out and do it again. Actually I think any stiching on the machine is easy.  The hard part was the neck faceing.  Took me 13 hours to get it done. 

Remember, before you stitch and cut, though, to pin it up and try it back on (still inside out, so the pins don't get ya), to make sure it fits you just right.

Yes that is a great idea and one of the reasons I like safety pins.  I actually wanted to use staples at first and they did work but not so good when I had to push a lot of cloth into the gap of the stapler.

Then, put a belt on and blouse it over the belt a bit.  Should look great!

If you want some more length on the bottom edge, don't be afraid to just grab an ~8" wide strip of some other fabric (the same as your neckhole facing is a great choice), hem one long edge, and seam it to the bottom edge of the tunic:

It does look good on you that way, I think mine is long enough, maybe too long, but I could improve it by adding the bottom hem and cuffs in matching color to the neckpiece

[Briar Rose]

Nicely done, even with the changes you want to make. I think the neck came out really well.

[Ilsa Starling]

Great job, and man, good job sticking with the neckline facing and getting it to work out-- it looks really good!

[Rúnsær]

Thank you Rose and Ilsa.  Seriously I could not have done it without the advice I got on these forums.  Ilsa I really appreciate the info you gave me on the neckline.  I plan on makeing a real Bocksten tunic soon out of linen.  But I do not plan on putting in the front gores. 
I bought some 100% medium weight stuff from fabric.com, sadly they messed up my order.  Part of my order was on last chance clearance and they sent the wrong stuff.  It is white with giant postmark pattern on it, I just don't think it will pass.  They will let me return it.  The other half is in the washer on hot so I can preshrink it.  I figure two washes and two dryers will take all of the shrink out of it.  I picked apricot for the color, this is a bit brighter than on the monitor but I think it will still be ok. 
Working on some salwar pants in cotton for my first try. 
On the tunics, other than just hemming them is there any special thing to do to the cuffs and bottom?

[Tooka the Gangly Goblin]

Using this tutorial for my next knee length "bell" tunic. Looks good mang.

[Rúnsær]

This is not a tutorial unless you read the other's first, I left out way too much for it to be used on it's own.  Stell's is much more complete.