Made by a Fabricista: Ponte Basics

Happy New Year, Fabricistas!

For this new year post, I decided to focus on some solid basics for me and my husband in easy to wear, easy to sew ponte knits. For him, a shawl-collar Thread Theory Finlayson Sweater:

For me, a shawl-collar Hot Patterns Metropolitan Chimera cardigan/jacket:

When I was choosing fabric, Fabric Mart had some fabulous ponte in stock. For my husband, I opted for a fossil grey rayon/nylon/lyrca ponte, and a solid midnight black viscose/nylon/lycra ponte for myself. Both colors are out of stock, but they have some other fun shades in this fabulous substrate!

I found Tim was between sizes on the Thread Theory size chart, so for his Finlayson sweater, I cut the smaller size (a Large), but used a small seam allowance than called for. It worked out well! I love this pattern. Such nice details, like a decorative back neck facing.

Tim looks great in the Finlayson! He's worn it a bunch since I made it. It's perfect for layering over a t-shirt or buttondown shirt and, in this ponte, is classy enough to wear to his business casual office. I think the Finlayson could even go dressier if you left off the cuffs and hem band and just hemmed instead (you'd have to lengthen it a bit, of course).

Now onto my Metropolitan Chimera jacket! I was going for a classic black, slouchy, boyfriend-style blazer with this project. This shawl-collar pattern has panel seams, two-piece sleeves and Dior darts, which intrigued me!

I quite like the blazer. The fit is pretty great (the only adjustment I made was a full bicep adjustment, which is pretty common for me) and the fabric is super soft and comfortable to wear. I think the Dior darts (which are little bit difficult to see in the photos in this black fabric) really add a little something special to the simple design.

I'm having a little bit of trouble with the bodice of the blazer pulling away from the shawl collar, but I had a similar issue with another shawl collar blazer I made, so perhaps it's just an issue with the style.

I'm loving this great basic jacket, though. I think it will work well with many other pieces in my handmade wardrobe. Here I've paired it with a double gauze Beatrix blouse and my Ames jeans.

Thanks for reading and thanks to Fabric Mart for the lovely fabric! See you back here in a few months. Check out my blog, Cookin' and Craftin', in the meantime!