Polka Dot Aberdeen Tunic

I absolutely love this shirt! I had been feeling a little disappointed that I haven’t sewn more garments this year, so one lazy Sunday afternoon I decided to try my hand at the new Aberdeen Tunic from the March edition of Seamwork magazine. I’m glad I did, because it turned out to be an uncommonly quick and satisfying make.

For the fabric, I just used some that I had on hand: polka dot and black Robert Kaufman Laguna cotton jersey knit remnants left over from my Coco Top and Plantain Tee, respectively. It felt so good to put that extra fabric to use.

Based on my experience with the overly oversized Oslo Cardigan, also from Seamwork, I chose to sew up a size smaller than my measurements for my first Aberdeen. I like the fit in the shoulders and chest, but it’s a bit too snug around the stomach. I’ll still wear it, but going forward, I’ll grade out to the larger size on the bottom. Since the cuffs on the Oslo Cardigan were a bit too much for me, I decided to omit the Aberdeen’s cuffs this time. The end result is perfect for spring, so I’m pleased with that decision.

I’m not usually drawn to v-necks, but enjoyed learning the technique. However, for a “beginner” pattern, I didn’t think the instructions were detailed enough. It wasn’t clear exactly where you were supposed to line everything up, so this neckline turned out a little wonky. Luckily, the polka dots are very forgiving. Now that I’ve done it once, I’m confident that I can do it right going forward.

The pattern is advertised as a two-hour project. If you’re experienced and have a serger, I can see how you could finish it in that amount of time. I didn’t time myself, but would estimate that it took me around three and a half hours to finish. I was thrilled to sew it start to finish in one day. That never happens for me, so it was such a treat!

All in all, I’m super happy with this shirt. I tried a new pattern, used up remnants from other projects, learned a new technique, and ended up with a comfy shirt. In fact, I enjoyed making it so much, I already started another one!