Made By A Fabricista: Ready For A Cruise

Happy new year! This year my husband and I are looking forward to a late spring river cruise to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. Since I started last year sewing my outfits for the various excursions on land, the only garment pieces left to sew were those I will wear on the ship. I wanted these to be interchangeable, so I picked gray as my base color. I wanted very comfortable garments for ease of movement around the ship. Luckily Fabric Mart was running a huge knit sale and pattern sales were going on in many stores and online.

For lounge wear, the heathered medium gray polyester/lycra double brushed knit (SKU: DLD3889d) was perfect for a jacket and a pair of pants. I used McCall’s M7294 pattern for the loose-fitting unlined jacket and Butterick B6137 for the semi-fitting pants with elasticized waistband, pockets, and leg bands. For me, attaching the leg bands gave a better finish than hemming. For the top, the golden yellow/off-white polyester/rayon/lycra tie-dye French terry (SKU: BOC4281w) coordinated nicely with the gray knit. I used Vogue V1835 top in one size larger, Size 16, to achieve a looser feel. I used a double needle to finish the neckline, the armholes, and hem. I liked that this top can be worn on or off the shoulder. These two fabrics were so light and soft; I could sleep in them. Modifications: I shortened the (Size 14) jacket’s sleeves by 1 ½ inch due to the addition of the sleeve band and the crotch length of the (Size 16) pants by 1 inch.

For walking around the ship, Butterick B6050 gave me the look I was going for in a knee length pullover dress. Its shaped hemline had an easygoing vibe; its twisted upper back detail bumped it up a notch. The heathered light gray/black polyester sweatshirt terry knit with embroidered floral branches (SKU: BUB4879g) was soft and had just the right amount of stretch for our activities. I shortened the elastic in the upper back by one inch because it drooped a bit more than I wanted otherwise. To make it bra friendly, I tacked the edge of the twisted upper back to the top of the elasticized back. Because the weather can be breezy and cool, I also sewed a matching unlined duster using Butterick B6176.

For a special dinner or cocktail hour, the dim gray polyester/lycra meandering mini sequins on knit (SKU: WOA9304) elevated the basic pullover Kwik Sew K3766 with just a little bit of bling. The selvedge of the fabric made a good scoop neckline band. I was reminded to sew a bit slower though when the sequins broke one needle. Using Butterick B6137 for the pants again, I used a deep carmine red polyester/lycra crushed stretch velvet knit (SKU: UCA7352r). The fabric and the color combinations glammed the outfit!

Overall, I am very pleased with my cruise wardrobe. I used 6 easy sew patterns and 5 different knit fabrics- double brushed knit, French terry, sweatshirt terry, sequined knit, and stretch velvet, to make 7 garment pieces. All were machine washable and required no ironing, perfect for travel. I prewashed them all before cutting. In sewing I engaged the walking foot setting in my machine, used Size 80/12 Schmetz jersey needle, added a clear elastic on the shoulder seams to control the stretch, and serged the edges. Oh, the total cost for the fabrics was just around $50! I am so ready for the cruise!