Tag: ginger jeans

Blackwood Cardigan + Kila Tank with Indiesew

4 Comments

It’s so easy to drop into the habit of just yoga pants and a hooded sweatshirt this time of year.  After camping and a very wet weekend, that’s all I really want to wear.  But I know I always feel better when I pull myself together and make some sort of effort on an outfit.  That’s why I wanted to make this duster style Blackwood Cardigan to add a bit of (good) drama to my everyday.  It can go on top of any {tank + jeans} or {t-shirt + leggings} combo and look SO put together.

Most of the time, I find a pattern I would like to sew and then pair it with the right fabric.  But when I saw this Modal Waffle Knit at Indiesew, I knew I wanted to hack the Blackwood Cardigan and take advantage of the fabric’s incredible 72″ width of fabric!  What makes this the perfect cardigan fabric is the modal content, which is a semi-synthetic rayon that is SO silky to the touch and yet breathable.  It makes for the perfect layering piece.

If you follow my Instagram, you know I’ve been leaning toward more of this army green color for the season.  I want to always make sure that new pieces in my wardrobe work with what I already own.   This green is a great neutral to pair with denim and lots of the creams and blacks in my closet…so I know I’ll get lots of use out of it!

The Blackwood Cardigan is the first pattern I’ve sewn by Helen’s Closet.  The instructions were very straightforward and easy to follow.  This is quite a popular pattern so it was nice to see all of the different versions on the web before I made my first cut.  But like I said earlier, I wanted to utilize the great width of fabric on this waffle knit and extended the length by a straight 12″ from the bottom of the front, back and neck pieces.  With my serger, this made for a fairly quick sew, which is always so nice!

For the top-stitching around the neckline, the instructions say to use a zig-zag stitch, but I opted to use a straight stitch with wooly nylon in the bobbin.   I use this method around most of my knit necklines and it still allows the stitching to stretch a bit.  Another change is the addition of a toggle right at the bust line.  With the weight of the duster, the sides were pulling away from center and sitting more into my armpits.  I wanted to anchor them with some kind of closure but had to take into account the weight and stretch of the knit.  Luckily, I had the toggle in my stash and could sew them over the serged neckband seams to help distribute the tension.

As with most patterns and my 5’3″ frame, I had to shorten the sleeves by 2″.  I could have probably taken off 3″, but with a cozy cardigan I like to pull the sleeves over my hands on those brisk days.  With the knit cuffs, I also like to always angle in the seams at the fold.  So I took out 1/2″ on both sides of the pattern piece at the fold for a more fitted feel.

A great layer to have under the Blackwood is the Kila Tank.  This is a slim fit tank that uses around a yard of knit, so it’s stash friendly and another quick sew.  The neck and arm bands are attached in a very clever way and great for those who do not have a serger or coverstitch.  Even though I have a serger, I stayed true to the instructions and used my twin needle for the bands.  I love how it looks like ready-to-wear!   But since I DO have a serger, I may go back to the old method just to save some time 😉

The fabric is this soft Rayon Spandex Oatmeal and White Striped Knit from Indiesew which I was saving for a dress, but realized I need more of these staple tops.  There is always more fabric, right?!?  Be on the watch for a long sleeve tee in this same fabric soon….

To finish off my entire #memade outfit, are my Ginger Jeans.  These are my very first pair and also my first Closet Case pattern.  It’s taken me about a month to complete these jeans (because I needed a break after all the modifications,) but I’ll make sure to get into more detail with my fitting adjustments on a future post.

I’m so pleased with my simple outfit that’s churning out the bit of extra drama!  Do you like the duster look?

Project Summary:

 

This post was written as part of the Indiesew Blogger Team.  All opinions are my own.  There are also possible affiliate links for which I receive a small commission only if a purchase is made.

Fall Sewing :: Sunday Everyday Sweater and Ginger Jeans with Stylemaker Fabrics

Fall is my very favorite garment-making time.  I love being able to sew comfy clothes to go along with my favorite autumn activities like having bonfires and heading out to the pumpkin patch. Stylemaker Fabrics is an amazing resource to make all of that sewing happen.  Michelle, the owner, does her trend research and sources beautiful garment substrates.  Most often, these are deadstock fabrics, which are leftover from other manufacturer’s products.  I love being able to use these types of fabric as a small step to keep them out of our landfills.

Stylemaker Fabrics new fall release includes over 150 new fabrics and it was SO hard to narrow down what I wanted to make with these lovelies.  I battled between something fun with a lot of personality, like a large print maxi dress.  But I know I’ll get the most wear out of my “mom uniform” — a loose-stretchy top with a pair of jeans.  It sounds boring, but I knew I could take it all up a notch with my fabrics!

ginger Jeans

If I’m forced out of athleisure clothing, I only wear blue or black jeans…with the occasional olive twill pants thrown in.  So, I thought a pair of statement pants would help me elevate my fall wardrobe with color alone.  I could have a pair of comfort-zone skinny jeans made of this Stretch Cotton Sateen in solid Cranberry for a pair of Ginger Jeans AND have an interesting garment to bring life into my wardrobe.  This deep saturated gem tone is a great color that is a lot of fun, but  dark enough to be everyday chic.

I’ve made a few pairs of pants before like these Chi-town Chinos and have altered quite a few ready-to-wear pants, so I know the modifications I have to generally make.  It sounds like a lot to do, but you will get the hang of it as you test and see what works with your body shape.

With the Ginger Jeans, I made the following adjustments to the pattern:

  • Shortened length by 3 3/8″
  • Graded from an 8 waist to a 10 hip and back to 8 legs
  • Removed additional 1/2″ out of back yoke
  • Deepened crotch curve by 1/2″ to remove bagginess below the seat
  • Extended crotch curve by 1/2″ to eliminate the wedgie look
  • Made a 1/4″ calf extension to remove bagginess around the knees

If you are looking for hardware, Stylemaker fabrics carries plenty of kits you can find here.  I mixed up the zipper from a kit along with some hardware I already had in my own stash.

I’ve been wearing these pants around town to truly get a feel for them, and I’m impressed with both the stretch AND recovery from this fabric.  There is great movement without it being too constricting.  The Stretch Cotton Sateen in solid Cranberry  also doesn’t leave deep wrinkles like with 100% cotton fabrics, so that’s a huge perk for this Uber-mom driver!

Sunday Everyday Sweater

With the 90s on trend and athleisure still full swing, sweatshirts are either oversized (which looks ridiculous on 5’3″ me) or cropped,  which doesn’t work with my modesty level at all…I’m keeping this belly under wraps!   But, I figured I could work the short, boxy sweatshirt look , but still be covered with the cropped version of the Sunday Everyday Sweater by Ensemble Patterns.  This pattern has a generous fit with dropped shoulders and dolman-esque sleeves, but provides a slight cocoon shape with a hem band to keep everything at bay 😉

I made the Basic version before, which you can find here, and knew I could size down and still get the oversized look and feel I was going for.  My modifications are as follows:

  • sized down based on measurements to a 6
  • shortened sleeves by 2″
  • narrowed cuffs by 1/2″
  • shortened hem band by 3″ to maintain the cropped length

This Cozy Stripe Sweatshirt Fleece is such a dream!  It was the perfect weight for this pattern and the fleece on the wrong side of the fabric is just so incredibly soft.  I think the heather gray stripes must make it extra cozy 😉  This sweatshirt will definitely  be a wardrobe staple in the car-pool line.  I already want to wear it everyday!

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Stylemaker Fall Tour inspiration and links here!  Tomorrow, Beth with Sew DIY will reveal her make.  Below is the entire tour card if you would like to follow along via Instagram as well.

What are you making this fall???

Happy Sewing Friends!

Cristy

 

 

Fabric was provided by Stylemaker Fabrics for this post.  All opinions are genuinely my own.