Spring Sweatshirt

Are there stages to quarantine sewing? My trajectory has been like this: finishing up the projects I was working on for events I won’t be able to go to, followed by making all the fancy/weird things I've always wanted to make but didn’t have time for, and, finally, coming to terms with reality and just making loungewear. What’s next? I’m worried I may be reaching the bottom of my list and actually make menswear! Ha!

Pattern: MadeIt Patterns Glide Jacket
Fabric: 2 yds french terry
Cost: free gift/scraps

For this project, I wanted something cozy to wear at home. I have a similar store-bought sweatshirt with black accents that I've had forever, but it's always been a bit cropped and bit tight. My mom had given me this french terry and I had a coordinating black zipper, so I decided to see if there was a pattern that caught my eye. I wanted something with some interesting details and re-discovered the MadeIt Patterns Glide Jacket. I like the interesting seaming at the front as well as the triangle cut-out openings at the side hem and the way the front wraps around to the back. The collar variation was the final selling point - I love a good collar.

To transform this into a more fitted, unlined sweatshirt, I had to make a few modifications. First, I recut the armhole and new sleeves to be cut-on. This is more fitted than the drop-sleeve in the pattern. As I was sewing, I also did some fitting at the waist by nipping in the diagonal side seam there. The fit at my hips was spot on though. The result is a nice fit that's still good for layering. 

Because I wasn't using a lining, I topstitched the neckline facing down in the back and then hand-tacked it to the pocket bag in the front to keep it in place. In the back, I cut the hem facing in black and sewed it to the outside of the jacket for some contrast. I omitted the pocket zips because it's quarantine and I'm hoarding those for something else. However, if I were to make this again, I think I would make the entire diagonal front piece into a pocket bag. As it is right now, there's the outer piece, the pocket and bag, and then the front/hem facings. This makes sense for a lined jacket, but I could have simplified for a sweatshirt. It also would have given me roomier pockets. These are a bit on the small side.

MadeIt Patterns was another new-to-me indie pattern company. I've been following Olu on Instagram and like the creative take she has on everyday clothes, like the hug hoodie. Unlike some other patterns I've tried recently, I found both the drafting and instructions for the pattern to be pretty good. There is lots of detail in there for newer sewers and really takes you through EVERY. STEP. Their measurements seemed accurate and there were good pattern markings, etc. I'm a little confused about why some pieces had a separate facing and some had a cut-on facing, but I didn't follow the instructions or fully read them so I guess I'll never know. I also found that I had to even out the back hem because it sloped down, but again didn't follow the pattern construction so there may have been a reason.

Above is a shot from the side so you can get a sense of how the front piece wraps around to the back. It's hard to see my black hem facing against the color of my pants, but you can also see the cool hem notch detail near the pockets. I used an extra stretchy fabric for the cuffs as I almost always end up wearing long-sleeved garments pushed up around my elbows.

I'm hoping this will be a nice staple in my temporary stay-at-home and permanent work-from-home life. The collar elevates it a bit from a normal sweatshirt, so I think it will pass muster on video calls. It has already done well on dog walks and lounging around the house.