Wardrobe Staple: Knit Tops

I have been working on different wardrobe pieces recently (mostly will a Fall/Winter theme). I realized I needed to, and wanted to, improve my look and style but without changing who I am or what I like to wear. Since I’m at home during the day, I don’t need fancy clothes or the typical work wardrobe. But, I also realized that my usual outfit of jeans and T-shirts (or shorts and T-shirts during the summer) needed some serious updating. So, I decided to sew myself a few pieces to begin. In this blog post I’ll discuss theĀ  two patterns I used for these tops: 1) Vogue 9205 and 2) Patterns for Pirates Women’s Henley PDF.

 

I have a substantial fabric stash that includes a lot of knits, so I was happy to give these patterns a try. The Vogue pattern is basically a classic that includes darts at the neckline and topstitching.

 

 

 

V9205

 

One of the things that I really like about this shirt is the length. It can be tucked in (although made to worn out) but it provides good coverage.

V9205

V9205

As you can see, there are sleeve options with this shirt which is great as I’m trying to prepare some items for Fall weather.

The henley top (it’s a PDF from Patterns for Pirates) I didn’t have but purchased when I saw it. I’ve been looking for a henley-style T-shirt pattern for a while and never found anything that was even close. I came across this pattern (thank you Google) when I threw out some I had for years that were worn so often the edges were all worn out.

Patterns for Pirates Henley - gray

 

 

Patterns for Pirates Henley

The gray was made with a light-weight cotton knit while the others are all ponte knits. I added snaps on the gray shirt but kind of wish I hadn’t. I love the snaps, but I forgot how time-consuming it can be to add snaps when you haven’t done them in a long time. It took me almost as long to get then on as it did for me to actually make the shirt. The placement could have been better also, but so it goes. The blue top has buttons!

This pattern is terrific though. It has sleeve and hem variations as well as a hood and banded waist. This is definitely one that I’ll be making more of.

That’s all for now. I would recommend both of these patterns to anyone out there. They are both terrific!

 

Skinny Jeans Adventure

I am not a person who has ever worn “skinny jeans” so I knew that making a pair would be an adventure. I used the “Ginger Mid-rise” skinny jean pattern from Closet Case Patterns. I absolutely love their Morgan boyfriend jean pattern so that’s why I chose this one.

 

I’m pretty pleased with the results. I can tell you that this style is not a favorite for me, I did end up with a good pair of jeans and I was glad to try the pattern that so many of you have used before. Like the Morgan jean, this pattern is really easy to follow. Because of the close fit, I did find myself making more adjustments (waist) than with the other pattern.

All in all, I would recommend this pattern to others. I made this pair from a stretch cotton twill. I used this as a wearable muslin since this will also help me to reduce some of my fabric stash! Other that the waist curve adjustment, I really didn’t make any changes to the pattern. They do have some great resources for jean making on the Closet Case website.

That’s all for now. Let me know what you’re working on…

 

 

Easy, Breezy Jacket…

If you haven’t noticed, these little jacket/dusters seem to be everywhere. I have seen more than a few and was really inspired to make my own. So, below is my version of this easy, breezy jacket!

I used Simplicity pattern 1318 To make mine.

Simplicity 1318

I completely understand why people love them. They are easy to wear either around the house or out running errands. This pattern is also easy to make. I used a polyester that’s lightweight and has nice movement. It was also an experiment for me since I rarely use silky or sheer fabrics. It’s something I need to do more of. I could use the practice!

This pattern could be lengthened if you wanted to make something duster length like the photo above (both of those are from Target, by the way). And there are some variations on the pattern itself in terms of length and the front band style. This is definitely a pattern I can see myself making again.

Simplicity 1318