it’s a dreary day here…rainy, grey and wet. but, I did muster the energy to walk upright and get some kcwc sewing done. this is the fourth time I’ve done the kcwc and each time I’m reminded how easy it is to get something done with just one hour a day.
a few great things happened with this sweatshirt. first, the pattern is the pauley pullover from the famed sewing for boys book, and I finally wised up and traced the pattern onto freezer paper. I have no idea what has taken me so long to get on this trend. freezer paper patterns are the best, you can see through it onto the pattern beneath when doing the tracing. then, simply run an iron over the matte side of the pattern and it sticks to the fabric making it a cinch to cut! amazing.
for the fabric, I used a sweatshirt that fit me awkwardly, which meant I saved myself from adding a hem and got a bonus cute kangaroo pocket with no effort on my part. third, I used my walking foot and it really is the key to successful sewing with knits, in my semi-limited experience. just to compare, I tried my teflon-coated foot and found the walking foot much better. it evens makes topstitching much easier. in fact, I feel confident saying that with a jersey needle and a walking foot sewing with knit fabric is manageable…even fun! (I don’t know what I did before my walking foot, it can do everything. I only just got it but it already feels like an old friend.)
the v-neck was new to me, I’ve always been a bit intimidated by them but the book makes it really straightforward.
all that said, the sweatshirt is a little slouchy. I decided to add ribbing for the arm cuffs and keep a regular hem rather than a drawstring like the pattern asked for. I like how it all looks but it made things longer (a point that seems quite obvious after the fact).
all in all, it’s pretty darn cute and I can promise I will be making a ton more clothes in knit fabrics for the boys. it’s a good thing, too, because they both prefer comfy to stuffy and I seem to reach for knits every time I’m thinking about making them clothes.
in my enthusiasm I also made a black fleece pullover with skulls and crossbones ribbing for C. sounds awesome, right?! (I’m telling you, these things take around 45 minutes with the freezer paper and everything else.) and, uh, he HATED it. wouldn’t even try it on. it was too fleecy and too scary and too black and….and, it was humongous, I need to size down. my kids know how to keep me humble. thank goodness.
anne says
wow — I LOVE the sweatshirt!! so cute. maybe i need to buy the book ….
ahappystitch says
It’s a great book, cute boy ideas.
meg says
I’m glad to hear the pattern went smoothly. I’ve been wanting to try V-necks and wouldn’t you know that book is on my shelf! The sweatshirt turned out great! and yes! freezer paper is the bomb!
ahappystitch says
Thanks so much! Love this book…the hardest part is finding the right boy fabric, which is another reason I love the kcwc community pinterest board, lots of inspiring ideas!