A Thirty Minute T-Tunic

Brahm Lyndonset

Pirates of the Lost Cause

The T-tunic is one of the simplest pieces of garb one can construct, yet the most versatile no matter what age you chose to re-enact.  To a newbie, constructing garb can be an intimidating task, especially if he/she has never picked up a needle or thread before.  By using the simple techniques provided in this article, you can create an impressive piece of garb with little or no sewing experience.  With a little extra work, the simplest of tunics can be converted into any form you see fit.

For starters, you’ll need fabric.  I suggest going with a period fabric such as linen or wool.  If this option is too expensive, there are rayon/linen blends that maintain a similar appearance, and could even fool the trained eye.  You could even get away with a cotton, though I suggest staying away from “stretchy” knits; trigger is my personal favorite.  Most fabrics come in 45 to 60 inch widths, and you will only need 3 yards length.  If you intend to add bands or highlights of different color, pick up a yard or two from another color of the same type of fabric.   You do not want to sew a knit wool to a cotton trigger; you will get bunching.

Patterns?  Bah!  You don’t need them for the simple tunic.  It’s as easy as taking the shirt off your back.  First, fold the fabric in half lengthwise:

                                      Then, fold the fabric

                                      in half again, along

                                      its width and lay it out.

                                                à

Now, take the shirt off your back.  A t-shirt (ironically) works best.  Fold this in half, also lengthwise, and place it fold side along the folded fabric:

                                               à

                                      Trace outside of

                                      of the shirt with chalk, and allow

  a lot of extra space between the

                                      edge of the shirt and the line.

This is where you have room to be creative.  If you want a short tunic, you can stop the line at the bottom of the shirt.  If you’d like a tunic that looks more like a dress, continue it all the way down to the bottom of the folded fabric.  The image above is for a more “traditional” looking tunic, but the final decision is up to you!

Now the work begins.  First thing you want to do is cut out the tunic, while folded, along the chalk line.  Do not shift or unfold the fabric while cutting.  After you are finish, unfold the fabric and lay it out.  Next, sew the hems.  Hemming is simply folding the fabric over on one side and sewing along the fold.  You can chose to double-fold the hem over as shown below, but only if you are comfortable with it.  Sew the hems on the dotted lines on the tunic below, on the same side, and don’t forget to hem the neck:

At this point, it is time to fold the tunic up and sew the seams together.  If you are considering putting trim at the edge of the sleeves, it may help to sew them on now.  You want to fold the tunic so the raw hems are visible on the outside.  In other words, you actually sew the tunic together while it’s inside-out.  Sew along the dotted lines below:

                                Sew along the dotted lines.                                                                               A finished “fancy” tunic!

Unfold, turn right-side out, and you’re done!  Of course, there are other things you can do to make your tunic fancy.  For example, you could sew bands of fabric to the sleeves, decorate the hems with trim, make a “keyhole” neck, etc.  Also, you can lengthen the sleeves by adding on more fabric.   Enjoy your new tunic!