Spruce Selvedge Ruska Tunic

Simple and sleek, this Ruska tunic makes for the perfect secret pajamas. It’s probably the most comfortable piece in my wardrobe. Lightweight with a cool hand this knit is just a dream to wear. I just love this shade of forest green!

After I finished making my long sleeve Ruska tee I had just enough left for the tunic version. Of course I had to add my favorite technique- a bit of selvedge. I had some leftover bright blue selvedge from a tank I made a few years ago that really popped with the forest green. I inserted the selvedge down the Center Front (CF) and then used the same fabric to bind the cap sleeves.

I did modify this pattern to work with the amount of fabric I had leftover. I scooped the neckline out- my preferred neckline. I always feel constricted with a turtleneck unless it’s really cold out-which it rarely is here in FL. A pieced section was also added to the lower back as I didn’t have quite enough fabric. Then the split at the CF was moved to two side slits. A bit easier to walk in and it made the insertion down CF look better.

All the Details:

Pattern:

Ruska Tunic (modified) Breaking the Pattern by Named Clothing UK12/US 8

I modified my dress with cap sleeves with a bound edge, a selvedge insert down CF, and moved the slit from CF to the side seams. My back pieces are also pieced at the bottom as I was using up remnants for this make.

Fabric:

Spruce Bamboo Jersey Knit from Blackbird Fabrics, OOS in this colorway but summer shades of the same bamboo jersey are available. This is a wonderful stable knit that was so easy to work with and has a lovely cool hand.

Summer is here in full force and I’ve been busy whipping up some pretty little sundresses, summer PJ’s(for myself and my daughter) and lightweight tops. I’m on a tighter budget with work slowed down for the summer so I’m focusing on working through my relatively small fabric stash and using up as many of my remnants as possible. Luckily friends have been gifting me some lovely pieces from their stashes so I have some fun stuff to work with. The kids and I are at my parents house this week and I’m hoping to get some pics taken of some new makes while the kids are occupied playing with their cousins.

It’s been a fabulous summer so far! We’ve had some fun outings (Flamingo Gardens, Butterfly World, Young at Art Children’s Museum), relaxing days at home, lazy days at the pool and lots of sewing, reading and gardening. I’m trying to keep my schedule easy and enjoy these days with the kids at home.

My dye garden is also slowly coming together. My first batch of indigo was decimated by the sun, but I just started some new plants as well as some woad. Plus my father in law gave me two hibiscus cuttings. My zinnias are coming up again (my first batch was awesome!) and my evening sunflowers are about to bloom. In the fall/winter I’ll start some purple basil, onions, and cabbage. I’m also planning on growing some madder though that will be quite some time until harvest.

I also just started a new fitness regimen. I’m using MyFitnessPal to track my food- I hadn’t realized how much I was snacking + eating up the kids leftovers- and doing daily Tracy Anderson Method dvd workouts. I’ve already lost a few pounds and my arms are looking awesome! (These images are the before-I took these a month ago.)

Hope you’re all having a wonderful-and relaxing- summer. Happy Sewing!