Loose, light, and breezy, we designed our linen Tunic with Gathered Shoulders for the dog days of summer. And with just four easy-to-cut rectangles and a handful of straight seams, you’ll be done sewing in time to enjoy these days!

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

We used Purl Soho’s new whisper-weight Handkerchief Linen, a 100% pure linen weave that comes in a palette of summery hues, including this lovely Pale Pink. We topstitched our Tunic in luminescent neon orange for a combination of light and bright that radiates a warm glow, just like summer itself! -Corinne

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

Update: New Fabric

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

JULY 20, 2016

We sewed a new version of this Tunic in Watercolor Linen! To see more photos and the materials list, check out our new Tunic with Gathered Shoulders in Watercolor Linen story.

Materials

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

  • 1 (1, 1, 2, 2) yards of Purl Soho’s Handkerchief Linen. We used Pale Pink.
  • 1 spool of Mettler’s Neon Thread. We used the color Sunset.
  • 1 yard of Purl Soho’s Neon Lacing. We used White, but you don’t see the Lacing in the finished Tunic.

Sizes

To fit chest sizes 28-31 (32-35, 36-39, 40-43, 44-46) inches in circumference.

Sample: The Tunic shown here fits a chest size 32-35.

Note

Prewash, dry and iron your fabric before starting.

Pattern

Cut

From the Linen…
Cut four 11 x 27 (12 x 28, 13 x 29, 14 x 30, 15 x 31)-inch rectangles.

Piece the Front

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

With their wrong sides facing out, stack two of the cut rectangles on top of each other. Pin them together along one long edge for 15 ¾ (16, 16 ¼, 16 ½, 16 ¾) inches. Sew along this pinned edge with a 5/8-inch seam allowance, backstitching at the beginning and end of the seam.

This seam is the center of the Front.  The unsewn length at the top is the Neckline Edge.

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

Press the seam open. At the Neckline Edge, press the two flaps open following the line of the seam.

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

Fold the raw edges of the seam allowance under so that the raw edges meet the seam. Press flat.

Sew the folds down with an edgestitch.

Piece the Back

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

With their wrong sides facing out, stack the two remaining rectangles on top of each other. Pin them together along one long edge for 22 ¾ (23, 23 ¼, 23 ½, 23 ¾) inches. Sew along this pinned edge with a 5/8-inch seam allowance, backstitching at the beginning and end of the seam.

This seam is the center of the Back. The unsewn length at the top is the Neckline Edge.

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

Press the seam open.

At the Neckline Edge, press the two flaps open following the line of the seam.

Fold the raw edges of the seam allowance under so that the raw edges meet the seam. Press flat.

Sew the folds down with an edgestitch.

Hem

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

Fold the bottom raw edge of the Front ¼ inch towards the wrong side and press. Now, fold the bottom edge ¾ inch towards the wrong side, press and pin. Sew the hem down with an edgestitch.

Repeat at the bottom edge of the Back piece.

Sew the Side Seams

With their wrong sides facing out, stack the Front and Back pieces on top of each other, so that the raw side edges and hemmed bottom edges meet.

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

On one side, measure 5 inches up from the bottom edge and place a double pin.

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

Starting at the double pins, pin 10 ½ (11, 11 ½, 12, 12 ½) inches along the raw edge. Place a double pin at the top of the pinned section.

With a 5/8-inch seam allowance, sew between the double pin markings along the pinned edge. Backstitch at the beginning and end of the seam.

The unsewn space at the bottom is the Side Slit. The unsewn space at the top is the Armhole Edge. The short raw edges running perpendicular to the Armhole Edge are the Shoulders Edges.

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

Press one side seam open. At the Side Slit and Armhole Edges, press the flaps open, following the line of the seam.

Fold the raw edges of the seam allowance under so that the raw edges meet the seam. Press flat.

Sew the folds down with an edgestitch.

Repeat on the other side.

Sew the Shoulder Seams

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

With the right side facing out, lay the Tunic flat so that the Shoulder Edges are aligned.

Pin the Front Shoulder Edges to the corresponding Back Shoulder Edges.

With a ¼-inch seam allowance, sew each Shoulder together along the pinned edges, backstitching at the beginning and end of the seams.

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

Turn the Top so that the wrong side is facing out and press the Shoulder seams flat.

Sew along each Shoulder Edge with a ½-inch seam allowance.

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

Press each Shoulder seam allowance towards the Front and sew it down with an edgestitch. These are the Shoulder Channels.

Finish

Cut two 8 (8, 8, 9, 9)-inch pieces from the Lacing. Tie an overhand knot at one end of each piece. At the other end, lightly singe the cut edge with the flame from a lighter or match. This seals the threads and prevents fraying.

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

Attach a safety pin to the singed end of one piece of the Lacing. Push the pinned edge of the Lacing into one Shoulder Channel.

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

Slowly pull the pin through the Channel, stopping right before you pull the knotted end of the Lacing into the Channel. Tack this knotted end of the Lacing to the Shoulder by sewing a short tacking stitch along the seam line of the Armhole Edge. To sew the tacking stitch, first sew forward ½ inch, then backstitch ½ inch, and then sew ½ inch forward again.

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho

Continue to pull the Lacing through the Channel until you have pulled the pin out the other side. Gather the fabric until the Shoulder measures 4 ½ (5, 5 ¼, 5 ½, 6) inches across. Sew the Lacing to the other side of the Channel with a short tacking stitch, as described above.

Trim both ends of the Lacing close to the tacking stitches, and you’re done!

Tunic with Gathered Shoulders | Purl Soho