gallery garments from our panelists

This is the day you’ve been waiting for. It’s time to feature the finished garments from our Gallery Tunic + Dress sew-along panelists. Do you remember what our panelists had planned? Have a look from: Carmen, Kristi, Lori, Rachel, and Sara. Well, they have been busy sewing and their tunics or dresses are now completed. Today you will get to see what they have done with the pattern and you can see how it fits. These photos are only a sneak peak, so be sure to click through to see and learn more about all of the details.

Many thanks to everyone who has participated in the sew-along so far and it’s by no means too late! You can still enter your Gallery Tunic or Dress into the contest. You have until Friday February 26th 11:59 PM ET.

Alright, let’s hear from the ladies.

From Carmin: “I’ve said I’ve been lacking nice tops in my wardrobe and this one certainly fits the bill of stuff I need more of. I sewed up the dress in a size ten with a D-cup FBA I shortened it by 15cm. I had tremendous fun making the Gallery Tunic Dress, the placket construction is brilliant and I totally geeked out over the small details. I need to make more; I love my Gallery.”

From Kristi: “After making a muslin to investigate the Gallery Tunic’s fit and construction, I decided to make a few changes compared to my original plan. I made the banded collar, converted the front opening to a full button band, and cut the cuffs as two pieces so I could show more of the accent fabric. I love the fit of this pattern, it is slim in all the right places, and a great starting point for basic customizations. In fact, I’ve already made another one with a completely different set of modifications!”

From Lori: “This tunic is a beautiful garment and a great addition to my wardrobe. I thoroughly enjoyed the construction process, especially the front placket. Liesl’s construction method for the placket is ingenious and by far is the easiest front placket I have ever made. The provided measurements and the garment finished measurements are a great help in determining size and a good basis to start the muslin process. I went with the long sleeves, adding one inch to the sleeve length. My fabric is a nice rayon but I wanted to add a contrast and went with a nice paisley cotton, full of spring colors and the hope of warmer temperatures to come. I eliminated one inch to the width of the cuff, cutting one from the fashion fabric and one from the paisley. The paisley looks so pretty and I wanted to show off the fabric, so I turned back the cuff and added 2 buttons to hold the cuff in place. My other changes were to make the back pleat a center back seam, adding shaping to the middle back. I also, stitched down the front pleat a few inches, my rayon fabric just had a sponge-y feel and the stitching helped to keep the pleat in place. One last change was a couple of buttons on the placket, just a design element to have some interest around my face. I hope you enjoy making the tunic and remember so many design options, help to make the garment uniquely yours.”

From Rachel: “I had a great time being part of the panel and sewing the Liesl + Co. Gallery dress. A relaxed-fit pull-on dress with in-seam pockets, button-cuff full-length sleeves, and a band collar. It has many details of a shirt but immensely easier to sew. I specially like the trick on the cuffs as I hate the majority of plackets. As the sew-along comes to a close, I would love to share my version. I may add that I loved so many lovely versions made of the pattern, which shows how versatile the pattern is. As mentioned on my initial plans I sewed view B. I know many people like to know others sewists sizes so for your reference I sewed Size 8 with an inch FBA.This is my first time sewing Liesl’s patterns and I can vouch for the solid explanations and clarity of the written instructions. The whole process of making this dress and adding an FBA was a breeze. Fit wise, besides the FBA, I lengthened the sleeves and hem. I’m terrible at keeping to plans, so that is why I rarely share them. After the toile I gave up on the idea of lengthening to a ladylike knee length and kept the original volume. I felt that lengthening would make the design unbalanced. Fabric wise; I’ve been a good girl and didn’t buy anything new (errr…. plaid). After digging through the stash I found this delicious viscose. The drape and body were perfect for the design. The print of pansies is just perfect to transition winter clothing to spring. I didn’t add the belt wraps but with so many cute belts in my closet I decided that having a self tie would restrict the different looks.”

From Sara: “Sewing the Gallery Tunic was such a satisfying project! I followed my original plan, making view A with a collar and 3/4 sleeves. I didn’t make any modifications to the pattern or the instructions, but I added some embroidery and lace details to complement the bohemian style of the fabric. The tiny details add an artistic and feminine touch to the tunic that makes it feel like my finished top came from a boutique store. You can see more close-up photos of the embroidery and lace in my blog post. This is such a great pattern with so many options for customization. I’m already planning another version so I can try some of the other versions!”

Weren’t they all lovely? Many thanks to the panelists for sharing their talent with us, we appreciate them taking time out of your busy schedules to inspire us with their amazing sewing skills! Over the weekend the panelists will pick their favorite from the sew-along linky party. Come back here on Monday to see who they chose as the winner of the contest. See you then!