Category Archives: knit

Cozy Spruce Matching Set

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Greenstyle Bianca Pullover in size E, hip length shortened by 1 inch, sleeves shortened by 1 inch, kangaroo pocket, 1.5 yard spruce Polartec stretch sweatshirt fleece.

I wanted to make a fleece loungewear set similar to what I’ve been seeing from retailers lately. I started with the fleece wide-leg pants, and then debated about what top to make. I knew I wanted a sweatshirt-style top, but I wanted it to be a bit oversized, but not too long, and I wanted it to have a kangaroo pocket. I liked the fit of the Greenstyle Surge top I just made, although I didn’t want it to be quite that oversized and I wanted a different neck. So I took a look at the other Greenstyle top patterns and decided to try the Bianca Pullover. There’s a nice blog post with lots of Biancas on the Greenstyle website.

The Bianca pattern uses a different odd size scheme than Surge. This time my measurements suggested I was somewhere between D and E. Given the bulky nature of my fabric and the fact that the kangaroo pocket looked too small in the D size, I went with E. The only changes I made were shortening both the sleeves and the bodice by 1 inch.

Bianca was pretty easy and quick to sew, but the instructions were rather minimal. For an experienced sewist, this was fine, but the pattern might be more intimidating than it needs to be for beginners because it doesn’t explain what type of stitch to use where, when you should top stitch, etc. I decided to use a shallow zigzag (1.8 length, 1.1 width) for all my top stitching since this is a pretty stretchy fabric and I don’t want my seams to pop. The pattern specifies a 3/8-inch seam allowance, so I trimmed 1/8-inch as I serged most of the seams. This works, but I prefer knit patterns with 1/4-inch seam allowances so trimming isn’t necessary. I ended up sewing the neckband on with 1/4-inch seam allowance and not trimming because I didn’t want to make the neck band any narrower than it was already.

I’m very pleased with how the top came out, and I love how the complete lounge set works together. It is super comfy and cozy, and I even went outside in the snow for a photo shoot (we got over a foot of snow the day before). I will probably make more Biancas. It’s a great drop shoulder top that looks and feels roomy, but not enormous. For less bulky fabric I might go down to size D (but might keep the size E kangaroo pocket). It has options for a hood, side pockets, and for sewing with and without bands. Most commercial sweatshirts with kangaroo pockets also have hoods and I love the fact that when I sew my own clothes I can make it the way I want it with a kangaroo pocket and no hood.

Here’s a photo of a fleece lounge set from a retailer and some more photos of my lounge set.

Cozy wide-leg fleece pants

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Pattern Emporium Urban wideleg pants size AU 10, low rise, graded in at waist, modified contour waistband with sewn-in elastic, shortened by 1.5 inches, jeans pockets top-stitched down, 1.5 yard spruce Polartec stretch sweatshirt fleece

Two years ago, I bought some purple Polartec stretch sweatshirt fleece from Surge Fabrics and liked it so much that I subsequently bought three yards each of charcoal, denim blue, and avocado Polartec sweatshirt fleece when Califabrics got some designer deadstock in. The fabric is very soft and cozy on the inside, with a smooth finish on the outside that resists pilling and abrasion. The fabric has a lot of stretch, which adds to the comfort and makes it suitable for a lot of knit patterns. When the fabric arrived, I was disappointed that the denim blue was more green than blue and the avocado was the shade of green that avocados eventually turn when they’re a bit past their prime, or, more charitably, the color of green olives. I made a Pattern Emporium Sweet Cheeks sweatshirt from the purple fleece and a pair of PE Urban Tapered Pants from the charcoal fleece. I love them both: they are cozy, warm, and comfortable. Later, I made a pocket hood scarf from most of the rest of the purple fleece (with the fluffy side on the outside). I had planned to make some coordinating loungewear out of the denim blue and rotten avocado, but every time I looked at these fabrics, I was disappointed that they weren’t the colors I was expecting. But alas, it is cold outside this week (actually for the rest of the month), and I really want some cozy loungewear, so I decided that I would just accept that the denim blue was actually dark teal or maybe spruce, and go ahead and make a lounge set. I auditioned several threads to coordinate with the spruce, and found my blue threads were all terrible matches, so I settled on a green thread. So spruce it is!

Once I accepted that I had 3 yards of spruce fleece to work with, I decided that it is actually a lovely color and I was excited to figure out which patterns to use to make my lounge set. I started with the pants and in my next post I’ll write about the top.

I chose the Pattern Emporium Urban wideleg pants pattern, which I have made many times before, in purple, black, grey, and magenta ponte. These are easy to sew and I love the back darts. I’ve tweaked the pattern in a bunch of different ways, but have settled on the size AU 10 with a low waist (which is more of a high-waist on me) with the waist graded in and the waistband adjusted to be a contoured waistband with 3/8-inch elastic sewn in. I also like to extend the crotch seam a tad (but forgot to do it this time). I use the jeans-style pockets but raise the pocket openings and cut them straight instead of curved. I also cut them 1.5 inches shorter than the pattern and this time I gave them a 1.75-inch hem.

The Urban pants pattern actually works great with this fluffy stretch fleece fabric. The only bit that didn’t work so well was the pockets. The jeans pockets are folded to form a pocket bag, so you end up with three layers (two pocket layers and a pants layer). That was too bulky with this fluffy fabric. I should have used one of the pocket styles in which you sew one layer of pocket either inside or outside the pants leg. Rather than take them apart, I top-stitched the pockets down after assembling the pants, using two rows of very narrow zigzags a quarter-inch apart (1.8 length, 1.1 width on my Bernina). It would have been much easier to do this with only 2 layers instead of 3 and to sew it down before assembling the pants, but it worked out ok and I think it looks just like the pockets I’ve seen on pants being sold at retailers. My Triumph in cover stitch mode could also have done the topstitching and = would probably have been an even cleaner look, but it would have been difficult to do after the pants were assembled and would have required rethreading and converting the Triumph to cover stitch mode.

I’m very happy with how these pants came out, the color is great, and they are super cozy and warm! Now, on to the top….

Oversized and cozy

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Greenstyle Surge Sweatshirt, size C2 regular length, sleeves shortened by 2 inches, in 1 yard black Polartec Windpro ribbed fleece.

When Kayla Tarey hacked the Greenstyle Sav’s sweatshirt pattern into an oversized sweatshirt suitable for a heavy, low-stretch knit, I wanted to try it too. Kayla used Surge Fabric’s Polartec Wind Pro ribbed sweater fleece, which is 100% Polyester, 380gsm, with 25% horizontal and 0 vertical stretch. It has a 2×2 rib knit on the front side and soft sherpa fleece on the back. This seemed perfect for a cold-weather sweater. The folks at Greenstyle turned Kayla’s hack into the Surge Sweatshirt pattern, making it much easier for everyone to copy this style. The pattern works for a variety of knit fabrics, but because it doesn’t have a neck band and the bottom band and cuffs don’t require a lot of stretch, it works fine for heavy 2-way stretch fabric that doesn’t have a lot of stretch. I had 2 yards of black Wind Pro and decided to try it out.

I projected the pattern and cut it out. Kayla had suggested checking the projector calibrations on the fabric because it is so thick. I measured some of the projected pattern pieces with both one layer of fabric and two and noticed only minimal differences between the size of the projection on the fabric and on the cutting mat without any fabric. I also found the fabric cuts quite easily with a rotary cutter.

GreenStyle has unusual sizing, and the size chart for this pattern said I was mostly a size C2, but a B1 at the bust. This was my first Greenstyle pattern so I wasn’t entirely sure what to do, but as this is supposed to be an oversized pattern and the fabric is hefty, I decided to go with the bigger size. I debated grading parts of it down or shortening it, but ultimately decided to only shorten the sleeves with my usual 2-inch adjustment. Amazingly, I was able to cut the whole thing from just 1 yard of fabric! I think this is because the drop sleeves are actually pretty short since part of their length comes from the width of the bodice. Now I unexpectedly have an extra yard of this fabric to make a sweater for someone else.

Most of the sweatshirt came together pretty quickly. The pattern has a 3/8-inch seam allowance so I trimmed 1/8-inch off with my serger as I sewed. My Triumph serger was able to sew and trim the heavy fabric without a problem. I used my sewing machine to join the seams on the bands and cuffs. I basted the bottom band and the cuffs to the shirt with a long zigzag stitch after stretching them (just a little bit) and pinning in place. I was able to easily serge the bottom band through three layers of fabric, but the cuffs were too bulky to get under my serger foot. Perhaps I could have made it work if I switched to a smaller foot (I have all the feet so there was probably something that would have worked), but I decided to just sew them with a zigzag on my sewing machine. The neck band construction looks complicated but is actually pretty easy, and is sewn on a sewing machine and finally attached with a serger. It has a cute little notch on one side that nobody will ever see because my hair hides it, but maybe if I wear a ponytail, it will show.

The finished shirt is definitely oversized, but not too oversized. It is very warm and comfortable. I find a lot of turtlenecks and cowls uncomfortable, but this neck band stands far enough away from my neck that it doesn’t bother me. I almost didn’t make this shirt because I didn’t want a high neck. I debated trying a V-neck, a quarter zip, or a scoop neck with facing, but eventually decided to just make the pattern as written, and I’m glad I did.

If I were making this out of a lighter-weight fabric I might go down a size or two, and I might also try this a few inches shorter, or use the pattern for the cropped version and make it a few inches longer. The pattern also has optional pintuck accents that I did not use. I think it looks better without them. Or maybe I would try the Greenstyle Bianca pullover pattern, which is less oversized, has a similar shape, but comes with neck and pocket options. It’s going to be cold here for a while and I have more cozy fabric in my stash, so let’s see!

I made this shirt yesterday and wore it to work today. I walked to work in single-digits and with a coat on top it did the job!

Faux wrap sweater dress

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Joanne faux wrap knit dress with long sleeves, size P4, knee length, pockets modified so as not to attach to waist, made from 2 yards Sienna Versailles brushed hacci.

I saw an ad for a Merino wool wrap sweater dress in “terracotta” and was inspired to make my own, except in a faux wrap style (easier to deal with) and in a faux wool (easier to wash). And while I was at it, knee length (rather than midi length) and full length sleeves (rather than 3/4). I used two yards of Sienna Versailles brushed hacci, which I’ve used before for a Sweet Cheeks sweater. It is 5%Poly/5%Spandex, 200gsm, with 50% horizontal and vertical stretch. It is super cozy because it is brushed on the inside, which gives it a polished finish while being very comfortable to wear.

I selected the Sinclair Joanne faux wrap knit dress, size p4 knee length, which I’ve made before in ITY with flounce sleeves and as a “double faux” with a faux wrap skirt. There are other faux wrap knit dresses from other pattern companies, and maybe someday I will try one of those, but it is a very well-constructed and easy-to-follow pattern that fits me perfectly with no alterations, so why change?

I made this one exactly according to the pattern, except I modified the pockets so they attach only to the side seams and not the waist and made them a little deeper and sewed the openings up a bit so nothing falls out. I made the long sleeve version for the first time — the sleeve length is perfect. It is a fairly tight-fitting sleeve, so for a lower stretch fabric, I might cut it a little wider. I hemmed the sleeves with two rows of shallow zigzag. I skipped the hem tape and then regretted it. So I used my favorite knit hem tape before I zigzagged the bottom hem.

I made a simple narrow belt by cutting a 3″ strip across the width of my fabric, folding it horizontally, surging, turning it right side out, and sewing down the open end.

I wasn’t sure how this pattern would work in a sweater knit, and was especially worried that I would have to add a waistband to support the pockets. But it worked fine as is — I didn’t even have to add elastic to the waist. I used 1” fusible knit stay tape to reinforce the side seams around the pockets. Anyway, Joanne makes a great sweater dress!

And here is a comparison with the inspo dress.

More Urban Boldly Black Ponte Pants

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Pattern Emporium Walk Boldly pants with high rise and modified yoga waistband from PE Urban pants and jeans pockets with a straight diagonal opening from 2 yards black ponte designer deadstock, AU10.

My daughter loves her Pattern Emporium black Urban/Walk Boldly mashup pants! She asked for another pair and I delivered. These are pretty much the same as the ones I made for her in the past, except this time I used a super smooth designer deadstock ponte fabric (all ponte fabric is not created equally). I also accidentally cut the regular wide leg line rather than the extra wide walk boldly line on my pattern. I didn’t have enough of the deadstock ponte to recut it, and I didn’t want to make one leg out of the bit of regular black ponte I had leftover from the last ponte pants I made her. So I spliced on the extra boldness. It’s kind of like a tuxedo stripe. It looks fine and she doesn’t care. But she does wish I wouldn’t insist on taking her picture every time I sew her a new pair of pants.

Sage green fitted t-shirt

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Sinclair Bondi classic fitted t-shirt 4, crew neck, short sleeves, graded in from armscye to hem, less than 1 yard of sage cotton-lycra.

In December, while travelling, I ventured into a mall for the first time in a long time, probably since last December. I don’t live near a mall that is all that convenient, and I think I’m just about over malls. I spent a lot of time wandering around malls in high school, and mall walking when I lived in New Jersey. Now I shop online or in neighborhood stores and make a large fraction of my clothes anyway. But the reason I mention all this is I found myself in a clothing store in a mall with one of my young-adult daughters as she was debating what size to buy in a plain white t-shirt when neither size she was considering fit her quite the way she wanted. I looked at the cotton Lycra t-shirt and sighed. “I could make you one of these that would fit you exactly the way you want,” I told her. So she left the store without the t-shirts.

A week later, I showed her what cotton-lycra fabric I had in my stash. Sadly, I had no white, and not enough black for a shirt. But I had just enough sage green (left over from a cropped t-shirt for my other daughter) that I thought I could eke out a shirt for her. I discussed her shirt preferences and adjusted my Sinclair Bondi classic fitted t-shirt pattern for her. I cut a size 4 regular crew neck one-inch-above-hip length and graded it in from the bottom of the armscye to the hem for an even more fitted fit. After trying it on she asked for further grading. The end result fits her really well. Next time (after I order some black and white CL fabric) I will do a broad shoulder adjustment and then the shoulders will fit even better. She also asked for the crew neck opening to be raised half an inch, which is just her personal preference.

Flowy pants

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Pattern Emporium Palazzo Pants (stretch) AU 10 with subtle flare leg, high waist, curved jean-style pockets, elastic added to yoga waistband, 2 yards of 190 gsm black athletic brushed poly jersey.

My daughter loves the several pairs of black PyLos LiKnit pants I made her with the Sinclair Cleo shorts and culottes pattern hacked into Palazzo pants and with the Pattern Emporium Walk Boldly pattern mashed with their Urban Pants pattern. But after a lot of regular wear, the LiKnit is growing threadbare in the seat, and I’ve already patched them about as much as I can. She asked me to make her two new pairs of pants for her holiday gift: a lightweight pair and a heavier pair.

My daughter suggested I try a different fabric for her lightweight flowy pants and selected a 190gsm black athletic brushed poly jersey from Surge. The fabric is pretty stretchy, with 75% stretch in both directions. I was about to cut the Walk Boldly-Urban mashup again when she asked if I could make them with even wider legs. So I downloaded the Pattern Emporium Palazzo Pants pattern for stretch knits and decided to give it a try in the subtle flare version with the high waist and yoga waistband. She wears a size AU10, which the pattern says takes about 2.5 yards of fabric. Unfortunately, I had only two yards on hand, but since the stretch is the same in both orientations, I was able to rotate the pattern 90 degrees and lay out all the pieces on 2 yards of 58″-width fabric.

The Palazzo Pants pattern has many of the elements I’ve come to expect in other PE pants patterns. I love the fact that this pattern has so many options: both the yoga and elastic waistbands, high and low waist, multiple types of pockets, and two levels of flare. I typically mix and match elements from the Urban Pants collection and the Walk Boldly pants. It’s nice having everything here in one pattern. This pattern is similar to the Urban Pants/Walk Boldly combo, but with a lot more flare in the legs and no back darts.

I sewed the pattern as written with only one change: I stitched a row of 1/2-inch elastic inside the yoga waistband before I folded it in half. I find that if you put stuff in your pockets, the yoga waistband tends not to stay up on its own and needs the elastic for reinforcement. I could just use the elastic waistband, but I like how the elastic is stitched down and doesn’t twist and the band itself is less bulky. But both styles are nice. I cut the regular length of the pants and gave them a generous 2-inch hem to keep the stretchy fabric from dragging on the ground and getting stepped on (a 1-inch hem would have looked fine based on her height and the shoes she usually wears). I overlocked the bottom edge, folded it under, and sewed the hem with a shallow zigzag.

My daughter and I are both pretty happy with how the pants turned out. I’m sure I will be making these again. The subtle flare is quite flared enough. I usually raise the pocket openings of PE pants and I forgot to do that on these — I would probably do that in the future and might also add interfacing to the top edge of the pocket opening to keep it from drooping. (Pants modelled here with the color-blocked Sinclair Crew sweater I made her in a cropped version.)

Bonus picture below on New Year’s Eve. My palazzo-pants-wearing daughter is also wearing an Ellie and Mac Lakeisha top I made her two years ago.

Shiny shirt

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Sinclair Bondi classic fitted t-shirt 6p, screwp neck, broad and sloped shoulder adjustments, bishop sleeves with long cuff, 1.5 yards 160 gsm 2-way stretch dark grey polyester crushed velour.

I bought a yard and a half of dark grey polyester crushed velour last winter and thought it might make a nice dressy top. It’s a medium-weight 160 gsm all polyester with no spandex. I didn’t notice until I got it out to sew it that it was only 2-way stretch, not 4-way stretch.

Most knit patterns I own (and most that my favorite pattern makers sell) are designed for 4-way stretch knits. These are knits that stretch BOTH horizontally and vertically. They are in many ways easier to work with than 2-way knits that stretch only horizontally (or occasionally only vertically) and tend to be easier to fit and more forgiving. When sewing a fitted knit shirt, it is obvious that we want some significant stretch in the horizontal direction to go around the body. But it is also helpful to have at least a little bit of vertical stretch so that the top doesn’t get stuck and ride up around the bust. A lot of vertical stretch can be problematic on a dress as the waistband may get pulled down and the dress may not be able to support pockets. A loose-fitting garment (a typical cotton t-shirt, for example) doesn’t need stretch to fit, since it doesn’t really even try to conform to the body. Some garments get around lack of stretch by adding seams and darts to help the garment contour to the body. Generally, patterns designed for woven fabric do this.

So, I wanted to make a somewhat fitted top out of my 2-way stretch velour, and none of the fitted top patterns I own claim to be suited for 2-way stretch fabric. (Actually, one of my patterns claimed it was for 2-way stretch, but that turned out to be an error in the pattern description that I caught because all the photos of garments people made with the pattern seemed to be using 4-way stretch fabric. A lot of people assume 2-way stretch is stretch in 2 directions, but that’s actually not how the term is used.) I considered using a woven pattern but after too much overthinking I finally decided to throw caution to the wind and use my favorite Sinclair Bondi classic fitted t-shirt pattern and just size up one size. Actually, this was not a completely reckless thing to do as I have made a lot of Bondis and I have a good sense for how it fits and how to customize it for me. I recently had problems using a low-stretch fabric with a different knit shirt pattern, but sizing up one size seemed to make it work.

I cut a Bondi in size 6p with my usual broad and sloped shoulder adjustments, screwp neckline, and graded in from waist to hem. I used the bishop sleeves from the puffed sleeve add-on pack and extended the cuffs.

The crushed velour was a bit slippery to work with, it shed silver dust all over the place as I cut and sewed it, and the edges curled a bit. The fabric listing said to iron it only on the wrong side, but I recklessly ironed it any which way I could to get it to behave, and it doesn’t seem to be any worse for the wear. I positioned the pattern carefully so that the fabric nap would all go the same way, and when wearing the garment, it would feel smooth when running my hands from top to bottom. My youngest daughter recently ranted about how much she hates it when the nap runs the “wrong way,” and she doesn’t like the feel of the rough fabric against her skin. I wasn’t about to make that mistake!

Sizing up one size seemed to have done the trick and made the 2-way fabric work quite nicely with my 4-way stretch pattern. The shirt is comfortable to wear and mostly stays in place, especially when tucked in. The sleeve cuffs want to bunch up, probably because the nap is going the wrong way on the inside of the cuff — I suppose I could have turned them the other way and violated my daughters’ rule on the outside, or maybe added a seam so the nap would go the right way on both sides.

Anyway, it was good enough for my New Year’s Eve outfit, and I could even wear another shirt underneath since the weather was frigid. I also wore my Sinclair Cleo palazzo pants (also in stretch velour, but this one is a 4-way stretch). My daughters suggested I wear it with the chain belt I’ve had since high school, which apparently is fashionable again.

Crews for the whole crew

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Sinclair women’s Crew pullover, hip length with banded bottom and tall cuffs – two in size 6P and one in 6T plus 4T cropped version, brushed cashmere rib

Sinclair men’s Crew pullover hip length with banded bottom in size 38 short, 38 regular, and 34 short, brushed cashmere rib

Last year I made my son and his partner a pair of matching raglan shirts in two colors of Monaco rib knit from Mily Mae Fabrics using the Sinclair Demi and Tao patterns, and I had left over fabric so I made my daughters  Sinclair Bondi shirts to match. It made for a nice family photo.

This year I planned in advance to make matching color block sweaters for the whole family. I bought 14 yards of brushed cashmere rib (220 GSM 68% Poly/28% Rayon/4% Spandex) from Mily Mae Fabrics when it was on sale for about $4 per yard. As it turns out, 8 yards would have probably been sufficient for the seven sweaters I made, but I didn’t know what color combinations I would use and you never know.

I selected the Sinclair Crew pullover top this year, which comes in both men’s and women’s cuts. I made one of each for myself and my husband and then went into assembly line production mode, cutting out several at a time and sewing each step on the whole bunch before I went on to the next step.

I made the Sinclair women’s Crew pullover, hip length with banded bottom and tall cuffs – two in size 6P and one in 6T. I also improvised a size 4T cropped version that was 4 inches shorter than hip length and graded to size 0 at the waist (for my college-student daughter who only wears cropped tops). I also made the Sinclair men’s Crew pullover hip length with banded bottom in size 38 short, 38 regular, and 34 short. I did not make any modifications to the pattern except for the cropped version.

This is a pretty easy pattern to sew, and with all the bands there was no hemming involved. These bands stretch gently to fit the fabric they attach to, no gathering needed. The fabric I used was also pretty easy to work with and I was able to sew everything together without any basting.

I made each sweater with a different color combination, and I also played with different approaches to color blocking. Mine has each sleeve a different color. I like them all, but I think my favorites are the ones with different color fronts and backs with the third color for the sleeves.

Sweet pink

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Pattern Emporium Sweet Cheeks Roomy Sweater AU 8, hip length, v-neck in 1.5 yards of rosey mauve Versailles brushed hacci sweater knit.

We did a crafty Christmas gift exchange at work, where we were each randomly assigned a colleague to make a gift for. I couldn’t ask my gift recipient for her size, as that would spoil the surprise. She is a lot taller than me, but my guess is she is otherwise a similar size. I decided I couldn’t make her anything too fitted without knowing her actual size, so I selected the Pattern Emporium Sweet Cheeks Roomy Sweater. This is a very oversized pattern. My correct size according to my measurements is AU 10. I made an AU 10 sweater in a heavy fabric, and it is a super comfy oversized sweater that would probably be fine sized down a size or two. I also made one sized down to a size AU 4 in the cropped length in a lighter weight brushed hacci sweater knit, and it fits just fine. I decided to size down only to an AU 8 for my friend and make the hip length. I also shorten the sleeves for me but I made the full length sleeves for my tall friend.

I love the Versailles brushed hacci sweater knit because it is brushed on the inside and feels very cozy. I bought more yardage in several colors last Fall when it was on sale for about $5 per yard. I decided to use the rosey mauve color (basically a pale pink) for my friend’s sweater.

My friend was surprised that I made something that fit her without measuring her, and especially that the sleeves were long enough. My friend is wearing it in the photo above. Here you can see it on a hanger and me trying it on.

Bold and buttery

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Pattern Emporium Walk Boldly pants with low rise and modified yoga waistband from PE Urban pants and jeans pockets with a straight diagonal opening from 2 yards black butter scuba, AU10, shortened 2 inches

I’ve made several pairs of mashed up Pattern Emporium Walk Boldly pants with modified yoga waistband from PE Urban pants, mostly for summer in light-weight LiKnit. When I heard about Mily Mae Fabric’s butter scuba I wanted to use if for some wide leg pants, but I didn’t manage to order any before it sold out. so when they restocked I grabbed some black butter scuba (and other colors too). The fabric is 50% Rayon/42% Poly/8% spandex with a decent amount of 4-way stretch. The right side of this fabric is brushed and has a soft, buttery feel. The wrong slide is smooth and a bit shiny.

When I cut out the fabric with my rotary cutter, it skipped in a few places and when I pulled the pieces apart, it created small runs. They’re hard to see but I know where they are, and next time I will be more careful and probably use a fresh rotary cutter blade. The runs did make me a bit concerned that the fabric could have a tendency to snag or pill, but I’ve washed it and worn the pants twice and so far so good.

I cut a size AU 10 with the waist graded in and shortened by 2 inches (and then hemmed 2 inches). I also lengthened the front and back crotch a tad. I added jeans-style pockets but instead of a curved pocket opening I cut the opening straight on a slight diagonal. The pocket openings sag a bit. I probably should have fused some interfacing to the top.

I cut the low-rise and made a contoured yoga-style waistband, effectively turning them into high-rise pants. I sewed 3/4-inch elastic at the top of the waistband between the layers and understitched it down. I used the scuba for both the inner and outer pieces. It is nice and soft with good recovery, but would not have been firm enough without the elastic (since I put stuff in my pockets and that tends to drag the waistband down). I might use a firmer athletic knit for the inner waistband in the future (as I have done on other pants).

These pants are very comfy to wear and have a nice drape: really nice dressy secret pajamas! They have a good weight to them without being overly warm or heavy, but warm enough to wear comfortably in ~40 degree F weather this week. I’m modeling them here with a PE Sweet Cheeks sweater in Versailles hacci sweater knit. I think they look good both tucked and untucked, and I’ve already worn them to work both ways.

Simply Alluring

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Pattern Emporium Allure Bell Sleeve Top with plain sleeves size AU10, Wanderlust high scoop neck, hem shortened 3.5 inches, sleeves shortened 1 inch, 1.5 yard of 43″-wide ginger-red wool jersey knit.

Size AU 10, screwp neck, sloped shoulder adjustment, hem shortened 3.5 inches, short sleeves, <1 yard dusty olive cupro jersey.

Size AU 12, screwp neck, broad and sloped shoulder adjustment, hem shortened 3.5 inches, sleeves shortened 1 inch, <1 yard dusty olive cupro jersey.

I was quite pleased with my double-bell-sleeve Pattern Emporium Allure top, but wanted to try it with simple sleeves. The pattern comes with bonus plain sleeves that are slightly shaped for elbow curvature.

I have previously made quite a few long-sleeve knit shirts using the Sinclair Bondi pattern, which I like quite a bit and I think fits me really well (especially after I made a few minor adjustments). However, it is fairly fitted and I don’t think it works as well for fabric that doesn’t have a lot of 4-way stretch (although that hasn’t stopped me from using it with less stretchy fabrics, sizing up a size). For example, I noticed a lot of drag lines in the back when I used it with a low-stretch light-weight wool. Allure is semi-fitted, slightly less fitted than Bondi, so I thought it might work better for low-stretch jersey fabrics. When I put the two patterns on top of each other I could see that the Bondi size 6 and the Allure size AU10 are about equivalent. The Bondi is more fitted in the waist, flares out more at the hem, and is wider across the bust in the front. I normally make Bondi in size 4P, but size up to a 6P when using low-stretch fabric.

First, I made a plain-sleeve Allure in size AU10 from a lightweight 150 gsm, ginger-red hand-washable wool jersey knit fabric from Knitfabric.com. The fabric was advertised as having 25% stretch in each direction, but it seems to me it has more like 50% horizontal stretch and <25% vertical stretch. I used about a yard-and-a-half of 43″-wide fabric. I cut the hem about 3.5 inches shorter than the regular length, which is a good length on me for wearing a shirt untucked (which is mostly what I do), but long enough that I can tuck it in if I want to. I also did a sloped shoulder adjustment and shortened the sleeves by 1inch. I wanted a scoop neck, but knew from my previous Allure that I wanted it a little higher. So I used the front neck line from the Wanderlust dress high scoop neck and adjusted the size of the neckband accordingly. I hemmed the bottom and sleeves with a shallow zig zag stitch on my sewing machine after first folding and pressing it with knit stay tape.

I mostly liked the way this came out, but found the neckline still a little too low and wide in the front and too low in back for my taste. so for my next top, made from dusty olive cupro jersey from Surge Fabrics, I raised the front neckline about .75 inch and brought the sides in about .5 inch. I also brought the back neckline in about .5 inch and raised it to the same height as the back of the crewneck — similar to the “screwp neck” that I like with the Bondi pattern. I used less than a yard of 58″-wide fabric. This jersey cupro is 180gsm and advertised as having about 50% horizontal and 25% vertical stretch. The vertical stretch seems to me less than that. The fabric color is almost grey — the olive is very dusty. None of my green threads were a good match for this fabric so I ended up using steel grey. The curpo fabric is 65% modal and 35% poly and does not require any special care. It has a very silky feel. I coverstitched the hem, sleeves, and neckline with the steel grey thread.

The neckline came out exactly the way I wanted it on this one after I futzed with the length of the band (I basted it on, decided it was too tight, removed it and cut another one 1.5 inches bigger). But overall the top was too tight. I learned from past experience with a cupro jersey dress that it doesn’t stretch much and fits tight. The sleeves were uncomfortably tight on me. But I thought it would still work in this semi-fitted pattern. But it was too tight and had lots of drag lines. And when I raised my arms and put them back down the shirt stayed bunched up around the bust. It took less than a yard of fabric and I had started with two yards, so I decided to give this one to my daugter and try again.

It fit my daughter fine but the sleeves were too tight on her and not quite long enough (she is taller than me) so I turned them into short sleeves.

I made another Allure from the dusty olive cupro, this time size 12. I also added a .75-inch broad shoulder adjustment, in addition to the sloped shoulder adjustment — an adjustment I usually make with Bondi too. I used the screwp neck, shortened the hem by 3.5″ and shortened the sleeves by 1 inch.

This time the fit was very good. However, you can still see some drag lines at the shoulder, I think due to the lack of vertical stretch. I will definitely size up if I use this fabric again.The cupro fabric is an easy-care soft and silky fabric and has a nice drape, but it also seems to stick to itself and doesn’t smooth itself out without help, as you can see in these photos. We got the last photo below after a lot of smoothing. I think this is lovely fabric, but it doesn’t seem to work that well for a semi-fitted t-shirt. I think it works better in a dress because there is weight pulling it down. I think it would also work better with princess seams, in an oversized style, or even with a woven pattern. This one will be fine as a layering piece under a sweater or jacket.

Red Vail dress

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Styla Vail Dress with long sleeves, size 6, sloped shoulder and swayback adjustment, knee length, sleeves and hem shortened by 2 inches, 2 yards of ponte.

The pockets and the darts were what drew me to the Styla Vail Dress, which has a higher neckline and a more fitted skirt than I usually wear. I thought about hacking the neckline or adding more swing to the skirt but decided to try the pattern as intended before making major changes. After looking at photos of the dress on the pattern company website and Facebook group, I decided I preferred the versions made from more substantial fabric so I made the dress out of about 2 yards of a red 58″-wide rayon/nylon/spandex ponte fabric that has a bit of body and weight to it. I did a half-inch sloped shoulder adjustment when I cut out the fabric. After basting it together, I added a half-inch sway back adjustment and shortened the sleeves and knee-length hem by 2 inches before hemming with a wide cover stitch.

Everything seemed to go pretty well until I started constructing the pockets. After attaching and understitching the pocket bags, I realized that the the pocket bags were not going to lie completely flat. I’m not sure exactly why, but I’m guessing the ponte stretched a bit as I was sewing the curved pocket openings. I tried steaming and pressing but never did get it completely flat. This became a problem again when I attached the bodice to the skirt. I basted and re-basted multiple times until it was close to smooth, and finally sewed it together with my serger and pressed it again. It’s not quite as perfect as I would like, but now they I look more closely at the Facebook photos I realize most of these dresses have minor pocket issues. When I tried the dress on I also noticed that the back facing is quite visible on me — there aren’t enough back photos on the website or Facebook group for me to see whether this is a common problem or not. I think this would be less noticeable with a print fabric or a lighter weight fabric, and perhaps I should have lined it with a lighter fabric rather than the ponte.

I’m still not completely happy with the pockets, and they only get worse when I load them up with my phone and wallet. Still, it is a comfortable dress to wear and I think it looks good on, despite my complaints. I might make this dress again, but if I do I would use a lighter facing, maybe extend the back facing to the waist, and try something different with the pockets. I think they might sit better if they were cut on a diagonal rather than a curve, and perhaps set the pocket openings at a less steep angle so the top of the pocket opening hits higher on the side of the dress. I would also consider splitting the front skirt piece into three and anchoring the pockets between the two seams, as I did with the modified Pattern Emporium Heartlight skirt I made for my daughter. I would align the seams with the front darts, which might look pretty good.

The best part about this dress is that if I wear it with a blazer, it looks almost like a suit. To play this up I might even make a matching blazer if I have enough red ponte left. The blazer also hides the pockets if it is long enough. Here I’m wearing my Boo & Lu Onyx pocket blazer in charcoal grey ponte.

Update: After wearing and washing the dress, I decided to go back and add topstitching around the neckline and on the pocket openings to keep the facings from shifting and having to be ironed every time I wash the dress. I used a shallow zigzag stitch on my sewing machine.

Double bell

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Pattern Emporium Allure Bell Sleeve Top with modern bell sleeves in short and long lengths, size AU10, less than a yard of ITY, scoop neck, shortened 5 inches.

I had some fabric leftover black and white ITY fabric from my double-faux wrap dress and decided to use it to make a double-bell sleeve top for my daughter for her birthday last month. I used the Pattern Emporium Allure Bell Sleeve Top pattern, a pattern I had previously used only to add bell sleeves to the Wanderlust dress. Allure comes with a wide range of sleeve options. I decided to use the modern bell style in short and long lengths and attach them to short sleeves. I cut size AU 10 with a wide scoop neck. The pattern falls at hip length, so for me I would make it 2-3 inches shorter to account for my short height. My daughter prefers shorter tops and she is only an inch taller than me, so I shortened it by 5 inches.

The pattern came together pretty quickly and I’m really happy with the results. I’m sure I’ll be making more Allure tops. For me I will shorten it less next time, use the sloped shoulder adjustment I used on the Wanderlust dress, and probably also uses the Wanderlust neck band, which is slightly less scooped. Here you can see me modeling it before I sent it to my daughter.

And here’s my daughter modeling it when I visited her last week. I wore it untucked, she preferred to tuck it in.

Fall Blizzard

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Boo & Lu Blizzard dress with half-circle skirt and raised V-neck instead of modesty panel, size 4, 2 yards ITY, bishop sleeves shortened 1.5 inch

No, it didn’t snow in Pittsburgh. Actually, the weather has been delightful and more like Summer than Fall. Nonetheless, it’s starting to feel a little bit like Fall. In anticipation of more Fall weather coming this week, I made a Boo & Lu Blizzard dress from the most Fall-like fabric in my stash, a lightweight leaf-print ITY fabric. This cracked leaves fabric from Surge Fabrics is more light and drapey than a typical ITY, and appears to be slightly brushed on the front of the fabric and smooth and silky on the back. Unlike most other ITYs I’ve worked with, the edges on this one tend to roll a bit.

When the Blizzard adult top and dress pattern was released last year, I really liked the knot-front detail, but was less excited about the modesty panel (to cover the plunging V) and the squared hem on the skirt. I decided to buy the pattern anyway, with the plan to alter it to suit my preferences. I cut a size 4 without the modesty panel and I cut the hem of the skirt using a regular half-circle skirt pattern (size 4P from the Sinclair Valley Skater skirt add-on pack, cut 1 inch longer than above-knee length). I used the bishop sleeves but shortened them by 1.5 inch at the lengthen/shorten line. I also added pockets using a self-drafted inseam pocket bag I’ve used on other skirts without waistbands (or if I don’t want to attach it to the waistband).

The knot detail looks complicated and it was a bit confusing to figure out. I was disappointed not to find a video demonstration. But I followed the instructions and photos in the pattern, and once I understood what I needed to do, it went together very quickly.

I assembled the dress and then tried it on before hemming to see whether I could wear it without the modesty panel. It was definitely wearable, but the knot hit a bit lower than I really wanted for a dress I planned to wear to work. I thought about sewing in a smaller modesty panel, but any modesty panel would break up the V-neck line. I realized if I pinched together the V about 1.5 inches above the knot I could raise the neckline and still have a V-neck. So I pinned it in place and then sewed it down. since my fabric was a fairly busy print, I just zigzagged it in place with black thread that you can hardly see on the finished dress. Had I not had fabric that would camouflage the seam so easily, I would probably have hand sewn it in place from the back.

Most knit patterns I sew have 1/4-inch seam allowances, which means you can sew them with a serger without the need to trim the edges. This pattern has 3/8-inch seam allowances, which is sometimes used when you are supposed to serge the edges and then sew the seam with your sewing machine. But that is not what is suggested in the instructions so I just trimed 1/8-inch as I serged a 1/4-inch seam. It’s not a big deal, but not my preferred approach.

The bishop sleeves include a band at the wrist so no need to hem them. I used fusible seam tape to tack down a 5/8-inch hem seam and then zigzagged the hem on my sewing machine. Again, the fabric hides the zigzag so well that I didn’t bother cover stitching.

The dress bodice fits like a glove, which works well for this light, stretchy fabric. If I were sewing a heavier or less stretchy fabric, I would probably size up. I have a top I bought many years ago with a similar knot front design, but it is looser and has a center front seam. I’m pondering how to adjust this pattern to reproduce that look as well.

The dress looks great with tights and ankle boots. I’ll probably wear it with a black tie-front sweater when it gets cooler. I accessorized with an inexpensive leaf pendant that matches the fabric perfectly.

We had beautiful weather this weekend, and my photographer was willing to follow me around in search of leafy backdrops for a photoshoot, so I have lots of photos to share. We aren’t anywhere near peak leaf color here, but we still found some nice Fall backdrops.

Double faux wrap dress

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Joanne faux wrap knit dress with flounce sleeves, faux wrap flounce skirt from Flared skirts ADD-ON, size P4, pockets modified so as not to attach to waist, made from 3 yards of 60-inch-wide ITY (2 yards black, 1 yard white).

I recently made the Sinclair faux wrap flounce skirt for the Valley Skater dress and liked the results. I have long wondered about combining this skirt with the Sinclair Joanne dress, which has a faux wrap top. I figured if I had the the top and the skirt faux wrap meet at the waist it would look close to a real wrap dress.

I made my first Joanne dress over two years ago, before I had a serger or a projector. It is an old Sinclair PDF pattern but it doesn’t actually have projector files. Fortunately, the A0 copyshop files work just fine as projector files. I copied the pieces for the flounce-sleeve top and the pieces for the add-on faux wrap flounce skirt into an Affinity Designer File and was ready to project and cut.

I had a vision for using a pair of coordinating fabrics for this dress that would highlight all the flounces. I selected coordinating black-on-white and white-on-black “heartstrings” print ITY from Surge Fabrics, which seemed perfect for the project.

I accidentally copied the wrong size Joanne top and didn’t realize it until it was mostly sewn together and I wondered why it was so big. So I took it apart and cut the pieces down to the correct 4P size. Other than that little mistake, the dress came together pretty easily. I took the time, as usual to add pockets. I modified them so they attach only to the side seams and not the waist and made them a little deeper and sewed the openings up a bit so nothing falls out.

Since I used ITY fabric that doesn’t curl or fray I was able to leave all the flounces unhemmed.

These two patterns pair well. I decided to add a 2-inch wide belt to help “sell” the wrap idea and make it look less faux. The pattern includes a narrow belt, but I made a wider belt by cutting two 2.5-inch wide strips across the width of my fabric and serging them right sides together with a small gap, turning right side out, and hand sewing the gap closed.

Overall, I’m pleased with the results. However, I’m a little disappointed that my coordinating fabrics actually blend together and the flounces are much subtler than expected. I still like it, but I hope to find coordinating fabrics with higher contrast and make another dress like this some day. Another fabric shopping opportunity!

Cassie V2 top for woven fabrics, also works for stable knit

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Sinclair Cassie V neckline top and dress for woven fabrics made of 1.5 yards of 58” wide burgundy PyLos LiKnit, size 4p, long sleeves shortened by 2 inches.

I tested Cassie V1 but was traveling when the V2 pattern released and didn’t get back until after the testing period was over. So here’s my V2, better late than never.

Cassie is a v-neck pattern for woven fabrics. In the original V1 pattern the neckline crossed over, but too many sewists complained about gaping, so the final V2 was switched to a v-neck without the crossover, but including a pair of cute notches. I decided to try the pattern in PyLos LiKnit, a stable knit fabric made from 55% Rayon/45% Nylon. It has about 25% stretch horizontally, but minimal vertical stretch. I treated it as a woven when I sewed. I think it behaved pretty well for this pattern, although it has a little bit more thickness than a woven and it stretches a bit, so it made it harder to get sharp points in the notches and a crisp V. However, the stretch also made the top more comfortable to wear and easier to get on and off.

I cut out a 4p AB cup top with long sleeves and made no pattern modifications. I top stitched all the optional places where it was suggested. My original attempt at sewing down the neck binding was a bit off and caused the v-neck to be uncentered. Fortunately it was pretty easy to unpick and resew (although looking at the finished product now I realize it still isn’t perfectly centered… oh well).

After I sewed the first sleeve on I tried it on and was disappointed to see the sleeve hanging well past my wrist. I’m used to sleeves that are too long on me, but was surprised the sleeve was too long on a petite pattern. Since this sleeve is gathered and the band added before you sew it to the garment, there is no opportunity to check the sleeve length before it is finished. I went back and looked at photos posted by other sewists and noticed that most opted for the 3/4 length rather than the long sleeve. It looks to me like the long sleeves in this pattern just run long. The sleeve bands took a while to construct and I didn’t want to take them apart. So instead I unpicked the sleeve head and cut two inches off the top of the sleeve head. I was able to mark my cutting line by using a ruler to draw dots every inch or so two inches from the top edge of the sleeve. Then I connected the dots. I cut along the line and reattached the sleeves. This time it worked much better. (Warning for other sewists, unless you have particularly long arms, if you sew the long-sleeve version you will likely need to shorten the sleeves!)

Overall, I’m happy with this top. This is not a style I normally wear, and it may be more difficult to layer than my typical long-sleeve tshirts. But it goes well with both wide and skinny jeans as well as black dress pants, and it should not require ironing. I really like this long-sleeve version (now that I shortened the sleeves) but I also like the sleeveless and 3/4 length versions other sewists made.

There’s also a nice video on this pattern from Lifting Pins and Needles.

Garment sewing index

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Wow, I’ve sewn a lot of clothes! To make it easier to find my makes, I’ve put together this index page. You can look for garments by type, or by pattern maker. You can also use the search box in the upper right corner of this page to find more specific items.

Garment types: accessories, cardigans, dresses, jackets and blazers, mens, shorts and skorts, skirts, tops

Pattern makers: Boo & Lu, Ellie & Mac, Greenstyle, Love Notions, Pattern Emporium, Petite Stitchery, Sinclair, Styla

Accessories

Cardigans

Dresses

Jackets and Blazers

Mens

Pants

Shorts and skorts

Skirts

Tops

Going to the tropics

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Pattern Emporium Going Places Fit-Flare and Fitted dress, made of 1.5 yards of tropical print DBP, size AU8 top graded to AU10, knee length ballet neck, sway back adjustment, pockets added

No, I’m not going on vacation, but I made a Pattern Emporium Going Places dress in a tropical print, and with some of the warm weather we’ve had lately in Pittsburgh, when I stand next to the flowers in my front yard I feel somewhat tropical.

I picked up this pattern a few weeks ago when it was on sale (it originally came out in 2019). This dress has both a fitted and flt & flare option and several different necklines (including a low cut “babe” option). But what is distinctive about this dress is that regardless of which option you choose, you have cute sundress straps in back that are designed to cover bra straps. I chose the ballet neck and flit & flare options, cut to knee length, with side seam pockets added (not part of the pattern). I used a soft and lightweight double-brushed polyester print that I bought on clearance last year from Milly Mae.

The fit & flare version of this dress is basically the same dress as the PE Wanderlust dress but with straps instead of sleeves and binding instead of a neck band. Having previously made and adjusted three Wanderlust dresses, I knew I would need a sway back adjustment, so I went ahead and copied the adjustment I already worked out for the Wanderlust pattern. I also had already worked out how to add pockets to this pattern. I decided to use the AU 8 for the bodice and then graded the waist and skirt to an AU 10. After sewing it together I decided it was too long and shortened it by 2 inches (I should have anticipated needing to shorten it as I usually shorten PE patterns by 2 inches). I turned under the hem 5/8 inch and cover stitched with off-white thread.

The dress is a pretty fast sew, but it took me a bit longer due to adding the pockets and sewing neck binding with my cover stitch machine for the first time. I had never does this binding technique so I practiced on scrap fabric, but once I figured it out it was pretty easy, although does take some (and a lot of pins) to pin in place before sewing. I opened up my Triumph suitcase and got out my cover stitch foot and used it for the first time.

The bra-strap covering straps are great, but they do take some work to position properly. The pattern instructions suggest where to pin the straps in place as a starting point, but they were set too wide and too long for me. I had to repeatedly shift them and try the dress on again, and I finally enlisted the help of an assistant who could more easily see my back. Once I was happy with the positioning I sewed them in place with my cover stitching on top of the cover stitching on the binding. The binding is a nice polished finish in both the front and back.

I’m very happy with this dress and my husband really likes it too. I like the fact that I can wear a sweater or jacket with it and wear it to work too. I’m looking forward to trying other neck options, and maybe a maxi version in some fancy fabric. The pattern can also be truncated to make a tank top, which I may try as well.

Be Mine Jacket Hack

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Pattern Emporium Be Mine Balloon Sleeve top with jacket hack, size AU8, 1.5 yards cotton double gauze, high neck, regular length, wide facing, no button loop, sloped-shoulder adjustment

I love the Pattern Emporium Be Mine Balloon Sleeve top pattern but find it difficult to wear under a sweater, and even if it fits, a sweater would hide the beautiful sleeves. So when I saw that sewist Livia Jonker-Yamada had hacked Be Mine into a jacket, I was excited to give it a try myself so that I could wear it over a shirt. I waited for Liv’s promised blog post with instructions, but it never came so I figured it out myself.

I started with the size AU8 pattern, which is one size smaller than the size chart recommends but this is an oversized pattern and sizing down worked well for me on my first Be Mine top. I could probably go down one more size for a more fitted top. I used the high neck option so that the neck opening would hit above a scoop-neck t-shirt. I added a half-inch sloped shoulder adjustment as I did on my first Be Mine. I decided to make this jacket from purple cotton double gauze since I still have a lot left even after making PE Vacation Vibes pants and a Sinclair Alva top and I thought it would coordinate with a lot of things in my wardrobe. The double gauze is a good weight for a light summer jacket, it has enough body to help the sleeves balloon, and once you’re done sewing it doesn’t need to be ironed. Having previously experimented with both ironing and not ironing gauze before cutting and sewing, I am firmly on team wash and iron now, despite the fact that ironing the wrinkles out of a couple of yards of double gauze is fairly tedious.

Most of the hack is pretty obvious: you follow the instructions for eliminating the back button, sew the back pieces together, and then you don’t sew together the two front pieces. The tricky part is what to do to have a nice clean finish on the jacket front openings. It looked to me like Liv split the neck facing and added vertical strips to it to face the jacket opening edges. I couldn’t work out exactly what she did where the front edges met the wide hem facing so I improvised a bit.

In the photos below you can see the split neck facing sewed to the merged back facing on its owned and pinned to the bodice. When I split the front facing, I made sure to add my 3/8-inch seam allowance to the split on both sides. The vertical facing is 1 3/4 inches wide and runs the length of the top. I decided to cut neck and vertical facing as a single piece to avoid the need for a joining seam. I used Heat n Bond Ultra Lightweight Fusible Interfacing and fused it to a piece of gauze before cutting out the facings. After I sewed the front and back facings together, I serged around the outer edges and also along the inner edge of the vertical pieces. That last bit of inner edge surging probably wasn’t necessary.

After I finished sewing on the neck and vertical facings I clipped the seam allowance around the neck as per pattern instructions and trimmed the corners to make it easier to turn them under. Then I understitched and top stitched according to the pattern instructions. It was impossible to understitch all the way into the corners, as you can see in this photo, but that didn’t seem to be a problem. I did the topstitching all in one go, from the bottom, up one side of the front, around the neck, and back down the other side of the front, pivoting at the corners. I used an edge foot for all the top stitching and under stitching.

Then I added the sleeves (hand basting the sleeve bindings so the gauze would behave), closed up the sides, and turned to adding the wide bottom hem facing. I split the front hem facing piece in half, adding 3/8 inch seam allowances to the inside edge of each piece. Then I sewed the front hem facing pieces to the back hem facing pieces and serged the top edge. I pinned the facing to the bodice, folding in the seam allowance. I sewed everything together and understitched following pattern instructions. Then I top-stitched just below the serged edge at the top of the hem facing. Finally, I was left with the unsolved problem of what to do with the unstitched 3-inch edges where the hem facing meets the bodice on the jacket opening edges. I decided to whip stitch that closed by hand, which seemed to have worked well.

I decided not to add buttons as I rarely button jackets (and I’m still a bit afraid of button holes). I’ve recently read that tie-front tops are quite fashionable right now, so I thought about adding ties, but decided I was unlikely to actually tie them (or wear them fashionably without a shirt underneath), so I left the jacket with no closures. As a result, it was a little tricky getting the neck openings aligned for the photographs, but they mostly stay in place.

The jacket looked neat and crisp, but since I will never iron it again I threw it in the wash to see how it would look crinkled up. When I took it out it looked great except for the center back seam, which didn’t lie flat because I forgot to top-stitch the seam allowances in place. After a quick trip back to my sewing machine to topstitch, the jacket was complete. That was yesterday, and today I wore my new jacket to work with the PE Heartlight skirt that I sewed last summer. When the outdoor temperature cools down a little I expect I will wear it a lot with wide-leg pants.