Fabric: cotton + ribbed cotton knit + Rit's fabric dye
Price: gift
A bright print like this should be worn to the beach (in my
poll, most people voted for the hawaiian dress). But where I come from, beach days can be cold and cloudy, and even on the sunniest days you can often see the next morning's fog out on the horizon. So I ended up opting for the Hawaiian pullover--still beachy, but warm enough to put on when the wind comes up. Not a dress, but I really like how this turned out.
For the cuffs, I bought some white ribbed fabric and dyed it to match. Aside from my ill-faited
chair cover, this was my first time using the dye. It worked out well, I didn't stain any of my clothes, and the color was a pretty good match (and an even color throughout). Also, because I
continuously fail to convert stretch knit patterns for use with woven fabric, my pullover has cotton knit running up the sides and down the arms. I actually ended up liking this detail.
How Sewing Works:
Finally, because this fabric was a gift from a non-sewer, I plan to once and for all explain how sewing works:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4iFm2wj08EWpH2u-569pxKZyFMHqurPVFV0NG61OyfwmdN82Kv7PSbk1rGGKwJwXLqCwpQIEkm8jn0NSC5pT0jcSr5lW3aca689snKFUIlUH68AohOBQorMGTtM_SBMt0Zo1V9uGeZMI/s640/Screen+shot+2011-03-24+at+8.58.40+PM.png)
<-- Designing doesn't have to be that hard: you buy a pattern (they usually have ugly pictures on the cover), and use the pattern pieces to cut out your sleeves, front, back, etc.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyE0CyAPBqT_QXBnuHt7MVmxIWySOcInxbxCqFjHyXPDxD9I-oJxGZ0o3bk69fH3ajZkEe6StV108IK5JGXpTeYb6mc0fCiwXN_q9fPYlxdYZvZM0zv6qOPvIB-7aoSCDSp-EMt_QaxE/s640/Screen+shot+2011-03-24+at+9.02.44+PM.png)
Place your pattern pieces right sides together (so, for instance, lay the front piece on top of the back), pin it in place along a seam, and sew a line down the side. -->
A sewing machine, FYI, works like this:
<-- When you open the seam, it will look like this! Nice and neat.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEASeYLinVAOzIvuYRRnAXHucwLtFCMaxSR3YpEZnCIG4KmDquTqvEGzGl3nISXFh9FraPQt879unuP94Tsub57PRvXczBIR25hy5fMc595ESeS9N45fqSEEIP8NLOnTdvcljfRtfOSJY/s640/Screen+shot+2011-03-24+at+9.21.17+PM.png)
Because fabric tends to unravel at the edges, you can "finish" the raw edge with a second, fancier sewing machine (or one of various other
techniques). -->
Basically, you do that enough times until you have all your seams sewn together. You might also have to
hem the bottom and make things neat and tidy (OK, I'm skipping a few steps for more complicated things here). But basically, that's it--you have a sweatshirt!
I love the hoodie! That's what I was hoping for :) Great job!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great use of Hawaiian print!
ReplyDelete