There are many, many things I love about sewing my own clothes but at the top of the list is the surprising way it sometimes provides an unexpected glimpse into the world of store-bought fashion. In the spirit of a peek behind the screen ala Wizard of Oz, sewing something for myself can unintentionally reveal the small shifts at play in the conventional clothing market and suddenly, it demystifies the whole process. In this case, my Wizard of Oz moment came courtesy of this lovely silver sweater knit tee. Made using my good-old standby, the Plantain Tee I was able to transform a basic top into something a little more fancy/casual. I mean, truly. I have made this tee SO. MANY. TIMES. It is probably the pattern I have used more than any other. But, suddenly by making it in a sweater knit I introduce my wardrobe to a scrumptious and luxurious fancy sweater knit tee shirt of the sort I drool over in this catalog. It captures what I am so often going for…everyday elegance. The craziest part is it was easier and cheaper to make than it would be in a standard jersey knit fabric! See, how that worked. I didn’t even try but there it was; the same pattern, same construction just in different fabric and I’ve got the everyday elegance of a sweater knit tee. Boom!
It’s slightly sheer but drapes beautifully. It’s dressy but in a casual way (does that makes sense?) and I even left the bottom and sleeves un-hemmed so it took minutes to make. Yet, I feel all fancy wearing it. Serious score!
Handmade does not get better than this formula. Easy + Beautiful+ Inexpensive = Looks Expensive + Simply Elegant. I’m certain I will be wearing this all summer long.
I got the fabric from Rachael at Imagine Gnats and it looks like she still has some in stock. Sweater knit is an interesting fabric, it’s essentially a thin, tightly woven sweater-like fabric that makes for glorious, lightweight clothing perfect for spring or chilly summer moments. I have used it a few times but my favorite is this cardigan for my mom. If you’ve never worked with sweater knit before you might find this blog post useful. It’s not tricky or anything but a few simple tricks can help it from becoming a frustrating fabric to stitch with. And, of course, once you learn how to sew with it you can crack the code on the fashion world…or something like that.
Pat says
So beautiful!!
Melissa Q. says
Thank you!
replicatethendeviate says
Ooh so pretty!
Melissa Q. says
Thanks! You are so sweet!
Sara says
This is perfect! Like you said, simple, easy, goes with everything!
Melissa Q. says
Yes! Simple and Easy do go with everything!