Making the Florence Tunic in a knit.

We love the look of our Florence Shirt. It combines all the classic elements of a button-down shirt with unexpected twists like a draped front tuck and a back band with button details. Though not hard to make, a garment pattern this detailed does take some time. And sometimes, you just want to knock out a new project. Something simple that you can cut, sew and wear in just a day. With that in mind, Erin came up with a variation on the Florence. It has the same great look, but made from a knit and it goes together in no time!

As you can see above, our classic Florence Shirt pattern features a hip-level tuck in the front. Erin kept this distinguishing feature on her version below, but she got rid of the front button placket, collar and shortened the sleeves. The result is a casual tunic that she wears with a summery pair of Valencia Pants in white linen. In our newest Sew Confident! tutorial Erin breaks down how to alter the original pattern step–by–step so you can easily make your own tunic variation. 

If you love the idea of the knit tunic but miss the look of the center button band, we also include instructions for a longer version that keeps that feature. Here, Erin lengthened the garment, adjusted the sleeves to a 3/4 length, and added a center front mock button band. This longer tunic is great for those who want to wear it as a dress over leggings or tights. Erin made this version in a Royal Blue and Light Gray Mini Stripe Jersey Knit.

While Erin made a simple statement in her tunic using a solid organic knit, Linda chose to go bold, creating a version using our beautiful Floral Knit Print in Honey. That started us thinking about other fabrics that we would like to see made into a Florence tunic, and created a little collection to share with you. 

What do you think? Would you go with a simple solid, or a bold bouquet of flowers? Share with us your ideas to make the Florence as a knit tunic!

Left to right: Alabama Chanin Organic Burgundy Knit, Floral Knit Print Honey, Floral Bouquet Knit, Ponte-Weight Stripe White on Black, Lunation Bright Knit