This Valentine’s Day, I decided to put some of my self-love on display. Get your mind out of the gutter – I’m talking about sewing and wearing one of my favorite patterns! While I have well over 100 sewing patterns, there is one that holds the number one spot in my heart – the Tai Tunic and Dress pattern by Seamwork. I mean, I try not to be much of a narcissist, but if you name a pattern after me, I’m probably going to love it. When this pattern was first released in February 2021, I instantly made an African print dress and a sequined tunic top. This time, I wanted something soft and pink, so I used the Minerva Core Range Jacquard Textured Stretch Knit fabric in the color Pink. I sewed up Tai in one afternoon and wore it out for Valentine’s Day, the day before all my favorite candies go on sale. This was a perfectly quick project that gives you big payoff with not too much effort.
The first time I made Tai, I added pockets to the dress. I thought about adding them this time again but decided against it. I wanted this dress to also work as a long tunic to be layered over leggings, so I skipped the pockets. The gusset at the neckline is so stylish and easy to achieve. It gives the neckline a lovely boatneck look, but without going through the hassle of finding bra strap-friendly boatnecks. The only alteration I made to the project was that I trimmed the sleeves to give them a closer fit.
The fabric I used from Minerva is absolutely lovely! The Minerva Core Range Jacquard Textured Stretch Knit fabric looks like a cute, tiny cable knit sweater. It’s a medium weight knit with 40% stretch, so perfect for the Tai pattern. I received the color pink, but there are 22 colors in total. In addition to the pink, I also really liked dark aqua, orange, and magenta. The fabric sewed beautifully and kept its color after laundering. Another big plus for this fabric is that I experience zero pilling. I wore this dress to work yesterday, to dinner afterwards, and during errands. Throughout all of these activities, the dress remained pill-free. I mainly used my serger to make Tai, so if you don’t have one, be sure to finish your seams in the way you see fit. Since the fabric is a bit thick, I’d probably stay away from French seams or a bias bound seam. Pinking shears or zigzag stitches would work just as well and wouldn’t add any bulk to the seams.
All in all, this was a fabulous pattern with fabulous fabric that resulted in a fabulous garment. It made yesterday’s made-up holiday a little bit more special for me. I can’t think of anything more loving than that!
