The End of a Blue Period

Ballet Dancers in Blue

Edgar Degas

Don't get me wrong, I love blue.  And green.

But after all that blue and green for the wardrobe contest, it was really nice to sew something

in nice, happy, sunshiny yellow.

Pattern: Papercut Patterns Undercover Hood

Fabric: Theory rayon-blend ponte

Notions: knit interfacing for pocket

Construction notes:

I have  made this once before, and decided I wanted a summery sweatshirt for vacation plans we have coming up.  Because you know, summer sweatshirts.  

Last time I added 1" to the sleeve length, which I kept, but may not have been as necessary here.  This fabric has quite a bit more drape and stretch to it than my last version, which honestly, still gets pretty regular wear.

Can I just say this is the softest ponte ever?  I had originally purchased this with plans for a summer dress, but after sitting on it for a year, I ultimately decided I'd get more wear from it this way.

I am also pretty surprised it is still available.  The yellow is a pretty, soft, buttery yellow, which helps make it more wearable (at least on me...)

On this version, I used tricot interfacing to stabilize the pocket (in order to help match those stripes), and opted NOT to line the hood.  I thought it would weigh down the hood too much in this fabric, and to be honest, I liked the stripes.  

For construction, I used a serger on all seams, and a double needle on the coverstitch machine to hem the hood edge and attach the pocket.  I switched to a single-needle chain stitch along the neck edge to help the collar edge lay flat.

Also, I guess it's worth noting that I have an older version of this pattern, which has since been updated to include a couple more options.  I don't know if sizing has changed, but I made a small.

And while it looks kind of oversized and sloppy, it still fits pretty neatly under a light jacket.

And as for why I'm wearing a sweatshirt in the middle of May in Missouri, I have no freakin' idea. 

We've been having the coolest, wettest month; which is great for the garden,

but not if you're ready to go swimming.

The 64 Dollar Sweatshirt

Because sometimes, you just want a reeallly nice sweatshirt.  Right?

I'm laughing at some of  these are truly terrible pictures! 

Pattern: Papercut Patterns Undercover Hood
Fabric: Amazingly-luscious double-faced cotton knit, sweatshirt weight, and obviously knitted by angels or virgins, or virgin angels, a Christmas gift from my mom and purchased at Kaplan's Fabric, where upon I had a lovely conversation with Alan, the owner, about discounts, asking, and Mick Jagger's autograph.
Notions: None.  Well, scrap jersey for hood lining.
Time to complete: 2 evenings, including time spent petting fabric

Warning: inside photos at 9:30 at night with overhead only lighting.  Sorry.

Construction Notes:
Not much to say here; this is rated a 'rookie' pattern, and it was pretty simple and straightforward.  I didn't even read the instructions, because honestly, if you've sewn a t-shirt, you've got this down.  I've never sewn with these patterns before, and I do want to add that it is a pretty nice deal.  I took advantage of the sale at the beginning of the month, not really knowing quite what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised.  First off, shipping (from NZ) is included in the price of the pattern.  Second, these are printed on nice heavy kraft-paper-ish sheets, so no fussy faffing about with tissue.  I DID trace it off anyway, because at this point, I know how much it sucks to cut an $18 pattern to the wrong size. (Renfrew, I'm looking at you.)

I swear we tried every variation of flash, no flash, fill flash, full-frontal flash--wait, not that one.

I also made a muslin, because did I mention this fabric was spun at the fingertips of immortals? [Must.Not.Screw.Up.Angel.Fabric.]  I swear, I wish Google had a Feel-o-vision app or something. When I finally wear this out of the house, I'm afraid I'm going to demand that everyone feel my shirt.  That could be bad...

Anyway, muslin-fabric-akin-to-shards-of-glass aside, I traced and cut a size SMALL.  This seemed not quite right, as XS matched my bust measurement, but my waist and hips matched the next size up.  (Sizing runs XXS to L; I typically wear an M in RTW).  I did not grade for a closer fit, because honestly, a snug fitting sweatshirt does not sound like my kind of fun.  With the muslin, I did decide to add 1" to the lengths of the sleeves.  I've historically struggled with monkey-arm syndrome, and absolutely HATE sleeves that are a hair too short.  Plus, it's a sweatshirt, and you're supposed to be able to drag your hair into a ponytail without flashing wrist bones, right?  I also changed up some construction steps, and added some extra in, because I'm like that.  Here goes:

• I attached the pocket before attaching the sleeves to front.  (I'm a rebel--not really.)
• I bar-tacked those pocket corners; am I the only person whose pockets rip there?
• I encased the hood/neckline seam in binding, and stitched it flat to the shirt.  A $64.00 sweatshirt does not have a serged seam showing front and center.

Other than that, I used my serger for everything here, (3/8" seam allowances), except where I didn't.  I used the coverstitch machine for attaching the pocket and top-stitching the hood, and my plain-ole regular machine for the bar tacks on the pocket corners.

Accidental stripe matching is surely a side effect of magical fabric.

Sorry for the truly terrible pictures, I'm sure you get the idea that I may never actually take this off again.  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!  We did, and I've been enjoying every minute of winter break. This is actually my second completed sewing project, my Alma blouse still needs photographing, so hopefully I will get that up sometime before the year ends. : )

Just in case I don't, have a wonderful New Year's, and I'll catch you on the other side!