Well, well, well, what do we have here? Clearly, a pile of knits that have seen better days.

A few weeks (months?) ago, I hinted at having sewn a bunch of Linden sweatshirts and not only did I sew six of them, I have worn them to death.

From a distance, they don’t look too bad. I even got a little bit creative with a striped back for the black version:

Alas, these have been so well-loved (that Jen of Grainline Studio knows how to draft a good pattern) three out of the six are not really fit for public wear anymore and have been relegated to pajama tops. Case in point:

This brownish-khaki-ish double-knit is incredibly soft and comfortable but the pilling! The snagging! I truly look tragic when I wear it. The navy-and-white stripe and black with striped back have suffered similar declines in presentability. The Ocean Blue French terry I got from Raspberry Creek Fabrics is wonderful in quality, however, and it’s been holding up decently, as has the light grey sweatshirt fabric from…I don’t know. Maybe Pacific Fabrics? The double-knit was from Drygoods, I’m pretty sure. The short-sleeved navy version is also a mystery fabric that feels like rayon jersey.

I wanted to make more Lindens to replace the pilled, unsalvageable ones, but chose to expand my horizons and tried my hand at the Toaster sweater. Here’s the conversation that followed when I triumphantly donned my new Toaster:

M: Did you make that?

Me: Yes! It was so fast to sew!

M:….

Me: Do you not like it?

M: Um.

Me: I know. I’m calling it my Steve Jobs top. It’s not my best look.

My fabric choice was problematic, to begin with. This thick rayon jersey has no drape and very little stretch, so I feel stiff and awkward in it. I also added quite a bit to the bottom band since it’s what I always do to account for my loooong torso. I think that and the extra amount I added to the turtleneck are throwing the proportions off.

The back’s not too bad. My Ginger jeans are still surviving though I accidentally ripped the right knee on a jutting apparatus in my basement (it’s torn all my jeans and caused other shenanigans). I figure the ripped knee gives me some street cred.

Hmmmm. It’s not that it looks horrible or anything. I think it’s more about how I feel in it. I feel…oddly robotic. Inflexible. Rigid. Ah well. Live and learn. Maybe I’ll try this pattern again with a different knit. That might be the ticket.

With spring around the corner, a resurgence of sewing motivation is brewing inside of me. I might even venture to sew something that’s not knit! What are you making lately?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning! Looky here — I sewed something! In fact, I sewed two somethings:

This is the Endless Summer Tunic pattern by A Verb For Keeping Warm (have you seen the IG feed? Stunning). How is it that I didn’t know about this pattern?

I made the grey linen one first — complete with pockets — and used the same fabric as this top for the yoke facing and pocket linings. I should mention that I’ve long since donated that polka dot button down because I felt sloppy and frumpola in it every time I tried it on. No regrets! Marie Kondo would be proud of me.

Here you can see what it looks like on the inside. It’s an interesting pattern. At first glance it seems super easy and quick but in fact, I timed myself and it took me six hours to make this grey version of the tunic. Most of that was due to hand sewing the armhole bindings and facings, which is recommended though they can easily be machine-stitched. The hand sewing results in a sleeker finish, but man, I’m slow when it comes to stitching by hand. Both the front and back pieces are cut as two pieces instead of on the fold because the center line is slightly curved to provide subtle shaping. I found that this created a flattering silhouette.

I’m a fan of the gathered detailing on the shoulders and back, though I’m finding more and more that these types of back gathers tend to render me hunch-backed in appearance. Maybe it’s the way I stand?

There was much hemming and hawing over which fabric to use for the pattern, and I’m so glad I started with the linen. I LOVE this tunic. Though I completed it four days ago, I’ve already worn it twice and have gotten quite a few compliments on it!

Spurred by this newfound sewing mojo, I proceeded to cut out this tutti-frutti-fun-fetti looking fabric I got from here. I can’t find it on their site anymore, but it’s German lightweight cotton according to my receipt as there’s no selvage info on the fabric itself.

I shortened this version by 4 inches, omitted pockets and used a pretty dusty pink/rose cotton gauze for the armhole binding and yoke facing. For this shorter tunic, I didn’t bother with interfacing the back yoke. Maybe it’s because of that and the stretchiness of the gauze, but the armholes are huge!

I cut the 41″ finished bust size and the fit is spot on for the grey version, but I feel like I should have gone down one size for tutti-frutti-fun-fetti. Fingers crossed that this will shrink some in the wash, because there’s some embarrassing gaping that happens around the armholes and this might have to be a swimsuit cover. I guess I can always wear a tank top underneath, but the point of a summer tunic is to stay cool and not layer up, right?

Still, it’s cute enough and I like that it’s a departure from my usual color scheme (or is it? It does have pink and navy and mint, which are all high on my list of preferred colors).

The first Endless Summer Tunic I stitched up is probably going to get a lot more wear. Linen. Grey. Loose, long, comfy yet stylish. Pockets. Easily mistaken for maternity wear. It’s got everything I look for in a garment.

Have you tried this pattern? What do you think of it? Would it be too much if I made a third one out of dark denim shirting? I would lengthen it by a few inches so I could wear it as a full-on dress. Mmmmm…I just might do it.