Made By A Fabricista: Sweater Weather

Sweater weather is officially here to stay! After experiencing a relatively warm early autumn in Pennsylvania, I wasn't sure it was going to get cold enough to wear sweaters every day, but it did! Since sweater weather seems to be sticking around, I decided to make my husband two new sweaters!

My husband is my behind-the-scenes cheerleader and sewing support. He is always willing to help me with photos of my makes, and he often gives me a second opinion when I get stuck in the creative process. To thank him for his support, I wanted to make him a couple of new cozy sweaters!

I found some really nice rayon polyester lycra brushed sweater knit fabrics on the Fabric Mart website that I knew he would love, so I let him pick which colors he preferred. He really liked the heathered shadow blue and the heathered bright gray colors, so we got them both! I also got a new pack of chrome ballpoint 80/12 Schmetz needles to make sewing these sweater knits a dream!

When my Fabric Mart order arrived, I was so happy with how soft and cozy the sweater knits were. They went above and beyond my expectations with their soft and cozy feel.

I used the Ellie and Mac Pullover Shawl-Collar Sweater pattern for the shadow blue sweater knit fabric. The pattern has a shawl collar and button which elevates it beyond just a standard sweater pattern. The fit of the pattern is a straight fit. Having made this pattern before, I knew that the sweater might end up being a little roomy on my husband in this weight and drape of sweater knit fabric. So, I went ahead and shaved about 1/2 inch off each side seam and sleeve to make the sweater a slimmer fit. I'm glad I removed that extra 1/2 inch on either side, because it made the sweater fit really well while still enabling him to wear an undershirt.

I paired the sweater with a beige and caramel colored button that I've had in my button box for years. I figured this would be the perfect button to contrast the shadow blue fabric and to pair nicely with khakis and my husband's favorite pair of cognac boat shoes.

Next, I wanted to make a classic crew neck sweater with the bright gray sweater knit fabric. My husband loves to layer long sleeved button downs under sweaters when the weather is chilly, making crew neck sweaters his go to.

There are so many men's raglan sleeved crew neck sweater patterns out there, but I decided early on that I didn't want to make him a raglan sleeved sweater. He tends to enjoy wearing classic set in sleeves, so that was what I looked for. I was happy when I found the Hainsville Hoodie from Rain City Patterns because it had everything I was looking for, plus tons of other options for future makes.

Sewing the Hainsville was very straight forward. If you've sewn a classic t-shirt before, it's the exact same process. I loved that the pattern had wristbands and a waistband because it made the whole assembly process super fast. Also, I loved that there was no hemming involved in the making of this sweater!

In the photos, my husband paired his gray Hainesville sweater with a pair of black jeans and a dark grey collared button down. He could also wear the sweater to work with black or dark gray dress pants to elevate it even more. With both of these sweaters in his closet now, he'll have plenty of cozy options to keep him warm throughout fall and winter!

If you have an opportunity to get some of this brushed sweater knit fabric, or something similar, you should seize the opportunity! You won't regret how soft, warm and cozy you'll feel while wearing this fabric!

SHAINA | @shaina_sews

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories SWEATER KNITS & KNITS.

Made By A Fabricista: A Tipsy Martini Transitional Three Piece Look

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon with Sharon Sews with my latest Fabricista make – a three-piece set I can wear as the weather transitions to fall here in Texas. It may look like a summer outfit but there will days filled with sunshine and high temps well into November. At first glance it looks like a nice, lightweight jacket, top and pants. But look closer – it’s sewn from the designer Tipsy Martini cotton sateen that was originally used by the designer for a pajama set. Now I could have sewn myself a pair of pajamas using the Closet Core Carolyn Pajama pattern (available at Fabric Mart) and replicated the designer pajamas. But if I had gone that route the only ones who would have seen this adorable kitschy fabric would be my family. This print is much too cute to hide out at home. This Tipsy Martini cotton sateen fabric was lovely to sew. I used black thread, an 80/12 universal needle, and Palmer/Pletsch Perfect Fuse Medium interfacing (link here). Note that this is a rayon fu

Made By A Fabricista: Hooray for Cozy Fall Sews!

Greetings, all! I am in such high spirits with the best-of-all-seasons just beginning and change is finally in the air. I always rejoice when the sweatiest time of the year passes and we can all take a deep breath and gear up for cozier times. Neighborhood Patterns is a new-to-me designer, and I came across them on Instagram in late summer and fell in love with the Plain Jane Skirt. This is such a simple A-line skirt, but with nice details like large inseam pockets and an optional drawstring, and though I’m sure I could draft this style myself, the appeal of having it all done for me was too tempting to pass up. A sew such as this is a lovely palate-cleanser and this was the first project I sewed after returning from a cross-country trip. Perfect! The gorgeous plaid flannel is exactly what I want to be wearing in the fall. The fabric is SO soft and a pleasure to snuggle up in. Because flannel does not have much body and is prone to stretching or shifting with all its mechanical give,

Made By A Fabricista: Quilted Jacket Chronicle

What do you get when mixing the best things about apparel sewing and machine quilting? A quilted jacket! It's funny that I elected to sew myself a quilted jacket for this Fabricista blog because I don't consider myself much of a quilter. I can count on my hands the number of quilted projects I've made over the last few years. While I fully appreciate the end product of quilting, I don't normally gravitate toward starting quilting projects. That's why making a quilted jacket is a new and exciting project for me! It gives me the fun of making a quilt on a much smaller scale. If you are an avid apparel sewist and are new to quilting, this is the perfect project to take for a quilting test drive! For my quilted jacket, I used the Seamwork Easton Jacket pattern. I decided to stick with a solid-colored fabric for the jacket's exterior and ordered 4 yards of Dark Umber Brown Lycra Stretch Canvas Suiting from the Fabric Mart website. I wanted a contrasting color for the

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