[UFO Pun Here]

So I cut out the pieces for this tunic in February

of 2018

 which was about the time I started trying to accept the shape my body is now, and I think I realized even then that it was not a shape that would fit into this shape of tunic.

But I still decided yesterday to finally sew it.

The pattern used was Simplicity 9164 from 1979

but I wanted to make it a tunic, because I was starting to wear tunics then, so I shortened it, as well as shortening the sleeves.  I also decided that there was no way I was going to apply the back yoke detail as an applique as directed

so I cut the top of the lower back to seam directly to the yoke.

It went together well!  And, yes, I once again have sewn top stitching everywhere.

...except not on the sleeve seams, because I forgot about the way to attach sleeves that lends itself to top stitching until I was already sewing them.

 I did remember to use the 3/16" (I remembered to look at the measurement printed on it) hem roller attachment to hem the sleeves--and the hem!

 Which took me three tries to get the thing positioned right, but I did do a much better job at back stitching at the beginning/end

 I followed the instructions when installing the placket.  Mostly.

Have I shown my button hole cutting blade?

I used to have one of those plastic scalpel buttonhole cutter things.  It broke.  Many many years later, I discovered the flat X-acto blades--technically called chiseling blades--and have happily used them for opening buttonholes ever since.

And!  I remembered to place a needle under the buttons when zigzagging them on, to create a bit of a shank so the thread doesn't deform the buttonholes too much.  I...uh...I remembered that trick after I had sewn all the buttons.  But!  "Fortunately" I had sewn a lot of them in the wrong spots--I had marked the places properly, but I decided that I should ignore those marks and center things.  This was a bad decision.

Worked out well in the end, though.
 

This picture is attempting to capture the pucker where I didn't get things clipped precisely, but the print is so busy it hides it well.

 Yes, pockets.  Also, piecing on the back, where it wasn't quite wide enough.  I used just about every last scrap of the green/rope print.  At least, I think I did.  It's been nearly a year and a half since I cut it out.

And my suspicions were correct--this did not fit.  I made the side seams really narrow, to try to eke out some extra width, and the bust fits fine.  The rest did not.

Notice how that last sentence is in past tense?  It's because I used most of the rest of the hand/dice print and did this

Oh, yes, there's more top stitching.

And the handkerchief hem  was finished with the hem roller alnog the bottom edge, and hand-turned along the sides (using the selvedge print as depth reference)

 

It still doesn't really fit and I think I just made it weirder.

But!

I made it!