I want a new jumper
Are you a bit fed up of wearing the same clothes day in day out? Nice warm stay at home clothes. Having worked at home for 14 years before retiring, i’ve had 15 years of nice warm ‘stay at home’ clothes. And i need a treat. Don’t we all?
I want a new jumper. But its hard to justify getting a new jumper when i have enough already. But i don’t have a sweater dress….. Ah, ha! An excuse to fill the gap in my wardrobe. (What gap in my wardrobe?)
Now i am not a perfect shape, and less gadding about and climbing the odd hill has probably left me an even less perfect shape than i have been in the past. And the wrong sweater dress will be inclined to show up that less than perfect shape, so i need to pick my pattern carefully. After much research and consideration, i chose New Look 6632, which has princess seams and an empire line high waist. It also comes with in seam pockets, which i omitted, because they lie over the stomach, to which i do not wish to draw attention. I particularly like the separate cowl ‘scarf’. I have worn the dress with and without the cowl, and worn the cowl with other outfits. Very versatile!
The fabric is a sweater knit from Minerva Crafts for which i decided to patiently await Royal Mail delivery, along with matching bias binding. I traced the pattern, as yet again, i feared it would be the wrong size – too big. It is a bit too big, but i cant help thinking that if i had made it any smaller, the bumps and bulges would have shown up, which is just what i was trying to avoid. The main seams were stitched on the overlocker, and all of the edges – neckline, sleeves and hem, were finished with bias binding and hand stitched.
As with all knits, i supported the shoulder seams with narrow interfacing. I wondered about doing the same with the raised waist seam, but didn’t in the end, to facilitate it stretching when i take it on and off. I wears nicely, it washes and dries nicely. In fact, it’s like wearing a nice comfy rug! I am just a bit concerned that it will stretch lengthways over time, so i am storing it flat rather than on a coat hanger. Which of course means that it will travel well, when it is allowed to travel. It looks a bit frumpy, but dolled up with smart shoes and a statement necklace, it think it will prove to be a useful pattern.
And in a note to myself, i shortened the midi version by 12cm. Which is interesting because i have shortened the skirt that i have just made by 11cm. This means that with some layouts, i can save myself 20cm of fabric in future…. but will i remember this? Probably not!
Also to add that, after buying this pattern, i stopped my membership at SewDirect. Since they have stopped producing Sew Todaymagazine on paper, i can see no benefits from being a member, especially as the promised weekly email has never materialised. This will definitely reduce the number of their patterns that i will buy. I complained that i wasn’t getting the weekly email, and we did various tests, but then it turned out that they hadn’t sent one in 6 – 8 weeks, which is probably why i wasn’t getting it!
One Week, One Pattern
Me Made May 2016
Me Made May 2015
Simplicity Competition
Sew Over it Patterns
all my own work by ann 