So I'm here to show off my first COMPLETED sewing project of 2014. I emphasize completed because, as some of you may know, I have SEVERAL incomplete projects in various stages of the sewing process. They sit there, pathetic, staring pleadingly for me to pick them up and finish them. However, I am my own worst enemy. Hello, my name is Patricia Jernigan and I am a perfectionist. I start a project with great enthusiasm and gusto and as soon as something goes wrong, I just stop. I try to correct what I see as a mistake but I lose patience, get frustrated and just STOP. And there it sits. Then the frustration turns to anger, anger at myself because I can't finish a SIMPLE project. Then the anger turns into doubt. Maybe I shouldn't be sewing, maybe I just don't have what it takes. It's a vicious cycle and turns what should be a fun hobby into a miserable and stress-inducing chore. Mind you, rationally, I know that this is not the case and its just a little hiccup. I just need to set it aside, walk away and come back to it when I'm calmer and more clear minded. But the perfectionist in me just takes over and she's a CRAZY-EYED BITCH that just won't let go. So, why am I telling you this instead of showing off my fancy sweatshirt? Because actually FINISHING a project is a very big deal to me and I thought I'd let you know why! So, now on to the sweatshirt...REALLY this time.
Back in October, I posted a picture of some fabric I found on the $2.97/yard table at my local G Street Fabrics. I was so excited because they were the perfect weight and stretch for a fancy sweatshirt. I was inspired by the post from Erica B. about her own luxe sweatshirt and I had been on the look out for some cool knits for this project. When I found these, I knew it was meant to be!
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| The fabrics in the middle and the far right are from the $2.97 table |
I also used Vogue 8670 and following Erica's advice, used view B with view E sleeves:
I also shortened the sleeves about 1 inch. I determined this number by taking my own arm measurement and comparing it to the measurement of the sleeve piece and determining what length I wanted the finished sleeve to be. This was an imperfect calculation but I will discuss that later.
I didn't take pictures during the process because it was really pretty simple and straightforward. I will however tell you how I customized it to fit my figure, what I liked about this pattern and what I will do differently for my next sweatshirt.
Customize for My Size
Making your own clothing really affords you the opportunity to tailor the garments to fit YOUR body. So I really took the time before cutting out my fabric, to modify the pattern to suit my needs. This is nothing new for you seasoned sewists out there. However, it was a first for me. So I will include it in this review. According to my measurements, I was a size 16 based on my bust, a size
18 based on my waist AND between a size 18 & 20 based on my hips. I
AM SPECIAL. Not a problem! Using a pencil and starting just above the waistline, I "graded" from the size 16 cutting line to the size 18 line, just below the waist.
I did the same thing mid way down the hip, drawing a line from the size 18 line to just short of the size 20 line.
I am short waisted. Meaning, the space between the bottom of my last rib to the beginning of my hip is very short, almost non-existent. So, most things don't sit "right" in the shoulders or fall correctly on MY "natural" waist. So, I took that into consideration with this project and shortened the waist by about an inch following the guide line printed on the pattern. I followed Erica B's cue and also shortened the overall length of the garment by another inch. Remember, when shortening, take into consideration your seam allowances when calculating your final measurements!
And AWAY we go!
I was finally ready to cut. Now, with knits and as Kanisa learned in her post, it is important to be aware of which way the fabric stretches. This is important when laying out your pattern pieces. The stretch has to run horizontally across your pattern pieces! I really took that to heart when cutting this baby out. I wasn't too concerned about matching patterns, etc., since this was an abstract print. I chose to make the sleeves a contrasting fabric and chose a solid black sweatshirt knit I found at G Street fabric. It is a cotton poly blend and has a slight sheen to it. Cutting it out wasn't difficult, as long as I kept the direction of the stretch and grainline in mind.Sewing it was a breeze. I checked fit after sewing the front, back and sleeves together. Everything looked good...except for the sleeves! TOO SHORT! It hit me right above my wrist bone! GAH! I felt the PERFECTIONIST BITCH creeping up and I decided to stop and walk away. I came back to it a couple of days later and came up with a nifty solution. Just add cuffs using the main body fabric. Done and done!
The Good and The Bad
THE GOOD:Pretty easy to customize and sew given you take the time to customize the pattern and understand your fabric BEFORE you cut the pattern pieces out! It was a breeze to sew together. Vogue 8670's instructions were easy to follow and I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone! Love me some raglan sleeves, YO!
THE BAD:
Going back to the "understanding your fabric" statement I made earlier. When I originally bought the contrast black sweatshirt material I used for the sleeves, I didn't compare its stretch capabilities to the blue material's stretch capabilities. The black fabric did not have as much stretch and the sleeves are a little less "giving" where certain movement is concerned. It's not a deal breaker, but let's just say I won't be rolling up my sleeves anytime soon! And it also wrinkles...that's also not a big deal. Also, when dealing with knits, there's this little thing called ease that you have to consider. This came into play for me when I adjusted the pattern to my hip measurements. I didn't consider that there would be some stretch in that area and that I needed to include that in my calculation...NEGATIVE EASE YO! Now, the hip area, stands out like a bell. No biggie, I'll just take in the sides. Problem solved!
All things considered, the "major" problems that I ran into were not with the pattern itself but with my "inexperience" we'll just say. This was a great learning experience and I know my next FANCY sweatshirt will be even better! Hope you guys learned a thing or two as well!
Until the next time, SEW BITCHES, SEW!
Patricia J.
