Recently I was lucky enough to be a pattern tester for Adrianna from Hey June Patterns. Her new pattern, the Cheyenne Tunic, was released today!
I didn’t really know what to expect as a pattern tester, but I had SUCH a good time! We were a wonderful group of ladies and gave each other so much good advice and encouragement during the testing period. And Adrianna is really amazing: she was in Thailand for most of the testing period and she still managed to answer whatever question we asked more or less around the clock.
But back to the pattern: The Cheyenne Tunic comes in two versions: as a standard collared button down shirt (view A) or as a shirt with a half placket and without a collar (view B). Both versions can be made in shirt or tunic length and with 3/4 or long sleeves.
I tested view B in tunic length, once with 3/4 sleeves and once with long sleeves. I actually made a third version, too, but more on that later.
I used a thin white voile from Imagine Gnats for my first version and a thin red brushed twill from Miss Matatabi for my second version. Isn’t it amazing how different the same shirt can look in two different fabrics?
Adrianna’s patterns are really all about the details: As long as you are not using too thick fabric, it is possible to sew the whole shirt with French seams. The tunic looks so neat from both sides and it doesn’t matter at all that my white voile fabric is see-trough.
As you may see, my collars (especially of the twill-version) don’t lie really flat. That’s something Adrianna has fixed in the final version. But I have been too lazy to change the collars I don’t mind the collars the way they are.
It is not the quickest or the easiest sewing project – you have collars and plackets and cuffs and buttonholes and everything, but it is so worth it. And Adrianna explains everything so well that it is easy to understand. There is even going to be a sew along!
Remember that I wrote something about a third version earlier? Well… I didn’t like it at all and didn’t finish it. I am missing one cuff and button holes… It is nearly impossible to get apparel fabric in Tromsø, but I did pick up a navy wool-viscose blend anyway. It feels as if I should have made a pair of suit pants of it. I pared it with some of my beloved “Winged” Art Gallery Voile and thought that I’d like the accents. Well… I didn’t! I feel ancient wearing it, my fabric stretched and I am sure that I am never going to wear it. Luckily I have already bought two gorgeous fabrics from Miss Matatabi that are MUCH better suited for this great shirt.
I am wearing my red shirt more or less all the time right now, partly because it is a great pattern, but also because of this incredible soft and quite warm fabric. Good for me that I made the Cheyenne tunic out of the fabric, otherwise I could be tempted to walking around with just the fabric wrapped around me!
If you haven’t bought the pattern yet, you can do so here – and you can even save 25% if you’re quick!
[…] Fleurine make two gorgeous tops AND froze her little butt off in the arctic circle to take these lovely pics! I love the idea of a sheer weight Cheyenne! […]
[…] started testing patterns for Adrianna from Hey June. I have no idea why, but she gave me a chance to test for her and it opened a door to a really great community of indie sewists and designers from all over the […]
These shirts look great! I love how different they look simply by using two different types of fabric 🙂
Thank you Hannah! It’s always so interesting to see how different a pattern can look with different fabrics. Sometimes it doesn’t even look like the same pattern anymore. 😉
[…] The Cheyenne Tunic […]
[…] Cheyenne was the first pattern I tested, and I remember being so excited that I barely could sleep after seeing Adrianna’s email. but […]
[…] the Instagram sewing community and somehow managed to convince Adrianna from Hey June to let me test the Cheyenne Tunic. While testing, I realized how many people were blogging and that I really wanted to blog, too. […]
[…] to join her testing group. I’ve been testing for Adrianna for over a year now – the Cheyenne Tunic, the Charleston Dress, the Santa Fe Top, the Tallin Sweater and now the Trevi Top and Dress. I am […]
[…] my stash (similar to this one). I bought it in November 2015 from Miss Matatabi, while testing the Cheyenne Tunic by Hey June. The thought was to make another Cheyenne, but that didn’t happen. And now I’m glad it […]
[…] wearable without a top underneath. For lining I used some lightweight white lawn scraps from my first Cheyenne Blouse. I’m actually surprised by how little this dobby lawn wrinkles! We took these pics while we […]
[…] from Hey June describes when sewing the 3/4 sleeves from her Cheyenne Tunic (check out my version here). I didn’t add a visible tower placket, but rather opted to simply “bind” the […]