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Completed: French Terry Stella Hoodie Dress

Here we have a tale of fabric bought wrong, then made right. Gather round, my children.

I bought this french terry from Mood Fabrics on a whim back in September. I usually swatch fabrics before ordering online – even with my knowledge of fabric and fibers, you can still be surprised by texture, hand, and color – but sometimes I get a little wild and order shit blindly. It usually works out fine, but every now and then it can backfire. Guess what happened here.

So, the french terry – it’s a glazed french terry from Helmut Lang (since sold out, yo’re welcome), which I figured would be great because 1. Helmut Lang is always expensive; and 2. It’s fucking french terry, how could you go wrong?

This, this is how you go wrong. This is one of the weirdest fabrics I’ve ever received from Mood. It was stiff and kind of scratchy, remarkably similar to how your bath towel feels when you dry it on a clothesline. I’m not going to sugarcoat this – I was really disappointed that I wasted part of my allowance buying it, because I absolutely hated it. The color was nice, but color doesn’t mean anything if the fabric itself scratches you when you touch it.

I did try washing the fabric multiple times to see if perhaps there was a sizing on it (or if the glaze has something to do with it?) that would be removed and thus soften it – but no matter what I did (hot water, cold water, different detergents, high dryer heat, etc), it didn’t change the hand of the fabric. I stuck it on my shelf and tried to figure out if there was something I could do with it. I don’t back down from a challenge, but sometimes I have to roll a problem around in my head for a minute before I come up with a solution.

During this time, I was sent an advance copy of Tilly’s newest book, Stretch! (hello, hi, that’s an affiliate link). I love most of the patterns and projects in that book, and the one that really stuck out the most to me was the Stella Hoodie pattern. I am not a huge fan of the athleisure trend, so the joggers were a bit lost on me (it’s fine if you wear them, but those are PJs are far as I’m concerned, and I don’t wear PJs in public), but I looooooved the pictures of the hoodie lengthened into a dress! I thought my weird french terry might work with that pattern – and, at the very least, it would probably function great as a swimsuit coverup.

I made the size 2 of this, based on my measurements and the suggested size from the book. I don’t remember how much length I added, whatever the book suggested (probably 8″ or 10″ – and then I cut some of it off when it came time for hemming). I did simplify mine a bit from the book – rather than line the hood and the pocket, I just turned under the seam allowances and stitched them down. The whole thing was sewn on my serger, other than the button holes (which my machine had no problem sewing, although I did back them with a little piece of fusible interfacing first), and the hems were done on my coverstitch machine. This fabric was very, very, very easy to work with – stable, not at all shifty of curly, and only shed a little bit when cut. It pressed nicely, which was great for getting those sharp hems.

I originally envisioned a black drawstring for the hood, but red was all I had on hand. I actually like it! It’s a nice little sporty pop of color. God, I sound annoying.

If you’re curious about my leggings – they are the Virginia leggings, made ages ago (in 2015, I think). My fabric is a wool knit from Paron in NYC. And those white lines are mock flatlocking done with my serger (where you sew the two layers together and pull them apart, or whatever it says to do in the instruction book I honestly I don’t remember haha) – which I 100% did because I didn’t have enough yardage to cut full length legs, so they had to be pieced. I added additional piecing so it would look intentional. It actually, in retrospect, looks kind of stupid, but honestly I usually wear these as long underwear so whatever I don’t care.

So that’s about it for this little dress! I actually quite like how it turned out – despite being apprehensive up until the very last minute of hemming. It’s cute and sporty and I feel cute in it. I think it will make for a good swimsuit coverup – but it also works as a cute little dress. As much as I didn’t like the fabric when receiving it, it works really well for this garment since it hold its structured shape. And since the garment is not close-fitting, the fabric isn’t scratchy or uncomfortable to wear. A very pleasant surprise!

In other news, if you’re still holding out for a good french terry, may I recommend this french terry from Mood Fabrics. I got a few yards of this and it is GREAT – super soft, super stretchy, super drapey, super bamboo (yas bamboo). Plus it comes in tons of colors!

**Note: The fabric used in this post was provided to me by Mood Fabrics, in exchange for my participation in the Mood Sewing Network. I also received the Stretch! book from Tilly & the Buttons as a gift, but was under no obligation to post a project from it (I just really like the book!). All opinions, as always, are my own!

Tags: completed, dress, french terry, hoodie, hoodie dress, knits, Mood Fabrics, Mood Sewing Network, stella hoodie, stretch sewing book, Tilly and the Buttons

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Categories completed projects - new, Mood Sewing Network

Completed: Augusta Hoodie // Anima Pants

22 Aug

I know it’s still like 8000 degrees here in the South, but I’m already thinking ahead to the next season! This year, I want to be ready when the cold starts creeping in – even though you & I both know that won’t realistically happen here until, like, December (if not later!).

With that being said, I started this project WAY THE FUCK back in May – you know, when summer was the creeper. Took me this long to finish it, but whatever!

Prepare yourselves. This is a two-part project, so there are a bunch of pictures.

First part – the one I started in May (or was it April? omg.) is this sweet-ass track jacket hoodie combo! The pattern is the Augusta Hoodie from Named. I don’t tend to sew a lot of patterns from this company – I find most of the styles a bit outside of my personal style preferences (like the Inari dress that everyone is going apeshit over and I JUST CAN’T GET BEHIND THAT SORRY), but occasionally I’ll come across something that makes *me* go apeshit (see: my beloved Jamie Jeans LOVE U). As was the case with this jacket! The pattern was given to me as a gift by my lovely friend Carla; it has taken me over a year to decide what to make it up with, but I think it was worth the wait!

The Augusta Hoodie is a combo track jacket/hoodie with welt pockets, front snaps, and seaming that is perfect for some crazy colorblocking (even though I totally went the boring route). I made a size 32, and adjusted the sleeve length as I found them a bit long (a normal alteration for me).

Pattern construction wasn’t too terribly difficult – Named has gotten much better with their pattern instructions (they used to be quite sparse) and I had no problems with any of the steps, including the welt pocket. The jacket is unlined, but there is a facing so you get a nice clean edge at the front. The hood is lined, which I left off because my fabric was so thick. I also added a drawstring to the hood, cos I liked the way it looked. Ideally, I would have done this before finishing the hood – and used my machine to sew grommets around where the drawstring goes. Instead, I decided to do it after the hoodie was completely finished, and thus just popped a couple holes in the hood with my scissors and hoped for the best, ha.

The fabric is a super thick, super heavy cotton French Terry from Organic Cotton Plus. I went with the Cranberry color, although they have tons of other color options for French Terry. This fabric is amazingly thick and soft and will be wonderful to wear when the temperatures start dropping. The piped sleeve seams are done with strips of rib knit fabric, just flat – there is no piping in there (only cos I didn’t have any on hand and I didn’t feel like waiting for any to ship). The ribbing at the bottom and cuffs is actually two different kinds of fabric – I originally planned to use the aforementioned rib fabric from OCP, to keep everything consistent, but it was way way WAY too lightweight to work with this thick fabric. I ended up painstakingly ripping off the bottom band (which was serged on) and replacing it with a sturdy rib knit from Mood Fabrics, which holds up much better with the thick French terry. Of course, I fucked up my measurements and didn’t buy enough, so the cuffs is an entirely different rib knit that is a lighter weight (but heavier than the rib fabric from OCP). I don’t remember where that rib came from as it was in my stash, but I’m sure it was also from Mood. If you look closely, you can see that they are two slightly different shades of white, but I am choosing to ignore that. Also, rib is a weird word when you type it over and over. RIB.

Sewing with this fabric wasn’t necessarily difficult, but it did require some finesse because it is SO THICK. Cutting was kind of awful – my scissors are still pretty dull (yup, haven’t gotten them sharpened yet. How long have I been meaning to do this? 2 years?), and they didn’t have the easiest time chopping through all that thickness. It actually hurt my hand to cut through double layers, but also I am a huge baby. I sewed the majority of this on my serger – French Terry sheds like crazy, and serging helps keep that at minimum – and there were a few sections of massively thick layers where I had to coax the handwheel to get things to keep moving. My snaps are set using an industrial snap-setter – again, I have access to this from my old job (in sewing production) – I have NO idea how you’d set snaps in this otherwise! I guess the pattern calls for a lighter fabric, which would certainly be easier to work with. Overall, I wouldn’t say it was hard – it just required being slower and more patient. Which is infinitely easier when you are sewing something way the fuck out of season and know you won’t be able to wear it for months regardless 🙂

This track jacket reminds me of the stuff we used to wear back in the early 2000s, which I was still super active in the Nashville Hardcore scene. We were ALL ABOUT track jackets and hoodies, which looked real good with our tight jeans and Saucony Jazz shoes 😉 I definitely had a baby blue track jacket for years, which I loved everything about except that the fit was just a little boxier than what I wanted. So, here I am reverting back to my 16 year old self. Maybe should buy some Sauconys and relive the memories of the mosh pit or some shit.

Anywayyyy, after I finished the jacket, I realized I had enough French terry left over to make a pair of pants. Sweet! Like I said, this fabric is really thick and cushy, and I figured it would make a nice and warm pair of pants for lounging around the house.

I used the Anima Pants pattern from Papercut Patterns, sewn in a size XXS with about 2″ of length taken off. This was a very easy and straightforward pattern – basically just a knit pant with pockets, cuffs at the hem, and an elastic waistband with a drawstring. I did have minor troubles getting the elastic waistband sewn in – I think mostly due to fabric choice, as again, SO THICK OMG – but it’s fine, just a bit wonky looking. Whatever! For the white ribbing, I used a white cotton interlock knit, also from Organic Cotton Plus, which I so happened to have in my stash (the knits I used on the hoodie didn’t have enough yardage for these pants). It is leftover from these tshirts, btw. I can’t believe that shit was still hanging around my stash, but I ain’t gonna argue with that!

I am quite happy with how the pants fit, as well as how comfy and cozy they are. I am not especially happy to see that I have basically made an unintentional pair of Santa pants, but, it is what it is. I wasn’t planning on wearing these out of the house anyway (sorry, the whole ~athleisure~ trend is another thing I just cannot get behind), so I’m not terribly concerned about it. At least I have the perfect outfit to wear this Christmas.

(Btw, in case you were wondering – I also made my top. It’s a Papercut Patterns SJ Tee, sewn in a lightweight jersey fabric and cropped.

I should add, another thing I had no intention of doing was actually wearing these two pieces together.

Because I definitely look more like a late 90s Puff Daddy in this ensemble HAHA

I will let y’all know when my rap album drops, ok? Holler.

**Note: The French terry was given to me by Organic Cotton Plus, in exchange for a review. All rap opportunities are 100% my own.

Tags: anima pants, augusta hoodie, completed, french terry, hoodie, jacket, named clothing, organic cotton plus, pants, papercut patterns, rib knit, santa, track jacket

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Categories completed projects - new

Completed: A Snuggly White Hoodie

17 Feb

Oh my god, I love this hoodie.

Remember that stripey hoodie I made last year with a sacrificed RTW hoodie that I ripped up to use as the pattern? I LOVE that thing – I wear it allll the time – but it’s a bit lightweight for winter. I mean, the fabric is a very flimsy jersey knit. I knew I wanted to make something with a bit more heft and warmth to it, but every fabric in my stash just seemed… wrong.

Then I bought that ridiculous chunk o’ yardage of ivory jersey from Mood and I was like, YES. White hoodie it is!

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. This isn’t just any ol’ white hoodie – this is a white hoodie that has been lined in fluffy faux sherpa, at the pockets and the hood, for extra warmth and snuggliness!

I bought sherpa remnant while I was in Chicago last year, at the Vogue Fabric Store (Here is it on their website, I think). I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I knew it had to come home with me! After seeing how great it looked next to the ivory knit, I knew I’d found a match made in heaven.

Since the sherpa only has a slight stretch to it, I knew I couldn’t use it for anything that was dependent on being stretchy – i.e., the body or the sleeves. This left the hood and the front pockets, both of which I lined. I cut the pattern pieces from both the knit and the sherpa, giving the sherpa an extra seam allowance at the hemmed edge. After sewing the pieces together, the smaller size of the knit meant that it easily pushed inside the lining, so I had a cute ~sherpa edge~ on the hem of my front pockets and the edge of my hood.

“But Lauren,” you might be thinking, “isn’t sherpa hard to sew? Don’t you need to use a special leather needle or risk blowing up your machine?” Naw! Not even! My sherpa is pretty thin, even with the suede backing, so it sewed up fine with a ballpoint needle (normally I would have opted for a universal needle, but we are dealing with knits on the other side here) and serged effortlessly. It also wasn’t quite as messy as other faux furs I’ve used – no fur tumbleweeds blowing around in my sewing room or anything! – but be warned that it does still shed. I was wearing my Lola Sweater Dress while working on this and by the time I was finished, I looked like I had crawled through a snowstorm. So, you know, maybe invest in a lint roller or something.

I topstitched down around the perimeter of the hood hem, which turned the sherpa into a casing where I could insert a drawstring and some little sherpa pom poms. I mean, if you’re gonna go all out – you should go all out, yeah?

Pom poms are SO easy to make, by the way!

Cut a circle out of your fabric (cut it bigger than you think you should) and baste all the way around with a long running stitch.

Gently pull one thread tail to gather, and the circle will form itself into a ball.

Before fully closing the ball, you will want to stuff it so it has some body. You can use polyfill or just fabric scraps – I decided to use some of my leftover tiger jersey because I thought it would be a fun little secret 😉

Finally, just fold gathered raw edges under and sew across the top several times, pulling the thread tight (but not so tight that it snaps!) until the hole is closed. Not pictured but you should do this anyway: make sure you put your drawstring in the hole before you close it up! I first tied a giant knit at the end of mine so it wouldn’t pull out.

Pom poms + sherpa = best hoodie ever

This hoodie was one of those weird experiments that I wasn’t sure was going to work out until the very end – the front pockets are pretty thick, thanks to the sherpa, and the hood fits a bit tighter than normal because of the multiple layers. But I really LOVE the way it turned out! Exactly as I imagined!

The only question (and the only thing I didn’t think through before plowing ahead): Um. How does one wash suede-backed sherpa?

Here are some less blown-out close-ups. Man, this thing was hard to photograph! I tried taking the pictures in my living room so it wouldn’t be quite as bright, but it’s still hard to see the details.

One thing that really upped the luxe factor of this hoodie (or, as luxe as a hoodie can get, I guess!) is the zipper I used. Instead of going to Joann and getting a plastic white zipper like I usually would, I went to my Bernina store and bought one of those special gold metal zippers that costs like $8. Ha! It’s not quite as fancy as a Riri zipper, but it’s the best thing I could find locally 😉 I think it really adds a nice touch and makes the hoodie look super professional!

To get the zipper in was a bit fiddly, since I had so many layers going on at the pockets. I basted the layers together by machine, folded the edges under and fused stitch witchery in between to keep everything in place. I sewed the zipper in with two lines of straight stitching – the closest line going right up against the zipper. I used a walking foot and a ball point needle so the fabric did not move around at all.

There are those pom poms again! Ha! I LOVE them! 😀

Leaving y’all with this picture because it’s so amazing. What am I even doing here, I have no idea, but it makes me laugh every time I see it.

Psssss- I just got wind that the Great British Sewing Bee is casting for Season 3! Ahh!! I know I said I don’t like participating in sewing contests, but were I qualified for this one I would be ALL over it like white on rice! Which means, if you DO qualify – go on and let us live vicariously through you! Do it do it!

Tags: completed, FUR, hoodie, knit, knit fabric, ponte, sherpa

Comments 53 Comments
Categories completed projects - new

Pattern Testing: The Avocado Hoodie

18 Mar

Remember that little blurb last Thursday about the kickstarter campaign for this hoodie pattern? Well, it looks like in the time since then, Mari has 100%+ funded her goal! Yay, paper patterns! There’s still about 6 hours left until the campaign ends, so if you haven’t had an opportunity to contribute and you want to snag the pattern at a discount price, now’s your chance!

In the meantime, let’s talk about why I even brought this up today…

I got to test the pattern over the weekend, and now I’m the proud owner of my own Avocado hoodie! Woohoo!

I’m not normally a fan of pullover hoodies… which now that I think about, it’s kind of dumb since I *always* zip my hoodies up. I can’t stand that shit flapping around! But anyway, for whatever reason, I don’t normally spring for the pullovers. Maybe because they remind me too much of those oversized college hoodies, I dunno. This one is surprisingly nice, though – the princess seams give it a bit of shape, so it still looks nice even though it has way more ease than what I would normally prefer to wear. And it’s sooo comfy, forreal.

Confession: After I took these pictures on Saturday afternoon, I wore the hoodie for the rest of the day – to clean, cook dinner, and lounge-y LT time. I love that it’s comfortable and snuggly, but it’s not so huge I feel like I’m swimming in something that belongs to a dude 4 sizes bigger than me.

In addition to being a basic, princess-seamed pullover hoodie, this top has a few neat features that differentiate it from similar hoodies…

Thumb-holes in the cuffs!

Pockets in the back – so when you are walking with your arms around a loved one (or fling, or friend, or whatev. I ain’t here to judge you), they can put their hands in the pockets. GENIUS, amirite?!

The hood is a great size – not so big that it gets floppy and falls off (ew, I hate that), not so tight that it pushes down on the top of my head and makes it hard to move around (hate that, too). I feel like hood size is kind of a delicate balance, and this one is drafted exactly to the size that I find most comfortable.

As far as how the finished hoodie fits… I opted to sew it as close to the suggested measurements as possible, and I think the bottom hem ended up a bit loose. Of course, you don’t want something like this to little or negative ease, since tightness can cause the hem to ride up. I cut a 4 for the front bust/hips, tapered to a 2 at the waist, and cut the back at a 2. I think the ease in the bust, waist, and arms turned out great – yes, there is ease (more than I typically wear, even!), but I feel like it still looks pretty flattering. I may take it in just a bit around the hips, but even as it is now, I think it looks fine.

One thing I do think is worth mentioning is that the length was a bit too long on me after adding the hem band. Here is how it looks with the band folded up – I think it suits my proportions better this way. Keep in mind that I am petite (clocking in at about 5’2.5″ on a tall day ;)), so it should be the perfect length for an average height/torso.

Putting the hoodie together was quite easy – despite there being a bunch of little pieces. I did have a bit of trouble figuring out the pockets, but as I was testing the beta pattern and left lots of feedback, I think it will be much easier after Mari adds more clarification and diagrams. With that being said, after I finally trolled through the pockets and started really assembling the hoodie, that part went FAST. I think it took me maybe an hour and a half, tops. I sewed the entire thing on my serger, minus a couple areas of topstitching.

The fabric I used is from Mood in NY – my first completed post-NY project! It’s a cotton french terry, and the lining under the pocket is cotton jersey. I loooove this fabric, it’s so soft and warm, and I think it will feel really nice in the summer when I’m dealing with air conditioning 😉 The only downside to this stuff is that is sheds tiny terry pieces like it’s going out of style. You will definitely need to finish every single seam if you use this type of fabric… and make sure you do a thorough sweeping after!

Ooh just look at that lovely terry.

Here you can see inside the pocket on the back – the dark is my pocket lining (the cotton jersey). Wouldn’t this be fun with something super bright and contrasty, like teal with yellow polka dots?? Which I almost bought, btw. Hm maybe I should have.

All in all, I think this turned out pretty good! I may end up removing the band and just topstitching the bottom, to relieve some of the length, as well as shortening the sleeves – this climate doesn’t exactly dictate the need for sleeves that cover most of the hand 🙂 I’m also thinking about screen printing something on the front, since it’s so plain! What do you guys think??

I must say, I was a little nervous on Saturday while finishing this up, since it was 70* outside and I’d spent the whole morning doing garden and yard work (yay, Spring!), I was thinking I wouldn’t have a chance to wear this hoodie at all! But just in case you were wondering… it got all cold and rainy again. And by “cold,” I mean 50*. What can I say? I’m a delicate Southern Rose who wilts at any temperature below 65* 😉

Tags: completed, Disparate Disciplines, hoodie, Mood Fabrics, NY stashbust, pattern testing

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Categories completed projects - new

Completed: A Striped Hoodie (by way of sacrifice)

18 Feb

Man, I love me some hoodies. I wear them year-round – even in the summer (because some people like to crank their a/c up to “frigid,” eep). I love how a well-fitted, soft hoodie can be the most comfortable piece of clothing in my closet. Here’s my sacred secret, though: my go-to hoodie was a ratty pile of SHAME. I really did wear it for everything – from cleaning the bathroom to keeping warm on a drafty airplane – and it showed. It showed in the form of faded, pilled black, bleach spots, paint stains, ratty edges, and a giant hole at the neckline (that was from a fight. Also, that’s all I’m going to say about that). I loved the way it fit, which is why I kept it long after it’s sad sorry state should have sent it to Hoodie Heaven (that’s my other sacred secret: I don’t repair my ratty clothing. That hole stayed in the neckline for OVER 6 YEARS. Yeah!!).

Sooo I ripped it up and made me a new hoodie, using the old one as a pattern!

HA!

It has a pocket!

Scratch that, two pockets!!

I’m afraid I don’t have a pattern to share, as I literally ripped up my ratty-ass hoodie and traced each piece onto paper, adding 3/8″ seam allowance. I didn’t make any changes to the pattern as I liked the way the hoodie fit pre-rip. And boy, did that hoodie want to be ripped up – the pieces were falling apart in my hands. Damn!

You’ll notice my stripes don’t *exactly* match up – on one side, and also at the top of the zipper. That’s ok, I’m not totally heartbroken over it. This is what happens when you push yourself to finish a project long after the mojo has dried up – you get sloppy. Usually, I put everything away and try to revisit the next day with a fresh outlook. I was cold, though, and since my hoodie was laying in pieces on the cutting table… I soldiered on. At the expense of a little stripe-matching, but hey, shit happens.

Sorry about the wayward stripe over my rear – it’s straight, promise!

Figuring out the order of construction required a little forethought, since the length of certain areas (the neckline where the hood fits, the front where the zipper goes) need to be pretty precise. In case you are thinking about traveling down the same path of hoodie rebirth, here’s the direction I took:
1. Sew band to pockets, attach pockets to front
2. Sew front to back at shoulders
3. Insert sleeves
4. Sew up side seams
5. Sew hood seam, attach band to front
6. Sew hood to neckline
7. Attach bottom band
8. Insert zipper
9. Attach sleeve cuffs

Not too hard! It’s just like sewing a tshirt (in fact, I bet one could use the Renfrew pattern as a jumping off point, although you’d have to raise the neckline), just with an added zipper and hood 🙂 If you are adding a hood, make sure the measurement of the bottom of the hood (where it attaches to the neckline) is the same as the measurement of the entire circumference of the neckline, minus the zipper. Otherwise, it won’t sit right!

Oh yeah, mine does have a hood!

Man, you can really see my mismatched stripes here. I’m sorry.

The pockets have the usual knit band at the top (cut slightly shorter than the measurement, then stretched to fit), topstitched with a twin needle. I sewed the zipper in using the twin needle because I liked the way it looks – we’ll see how well that holds up, since it’s not usually the strongest seam 🙂 Surprisingly, the zipper went in quite easily and I didn’t have to stabilize the seam like I thought I would. My knit was pretty stable, it might not work as well with really stretchy fabrics. If you are having trouble getting your zipper lump-free, sewing on a piece of ribbon or even fusing a stripe of interfacing really helps, fyi!

Oh yeah, I reused the zipper from the old hoodie! What’s old is new again, or some shit.

Just for fun – I stabilized the shoulders seams with neon yellow twill tape, and added a little cycling tag. Aw I miss my bike! Summer, where are youuuuu