Do I really want Spring though?

It was a race with the calendar and I'd never felt so conflicted. I love sunshine. I love spring. I'm tired of winter. But I also had fabric for a Brunswick Pullover that wasn't made yet. I finally got to it this past week. I even got to wear it on a cool day and now it is warming up - today in hometown, USA it was 62 and tomorrow it's supposed to be 65. That's what I call having your cake and eating it too!! I won't even be sad if the forecast for a 50 degree and cloudy day on Saturday turns out to be right because then I get to wear my Brunswick again!

The Brunswick Pullover is a pattern by Hey June Handmade. It is really well written and easy to follow and there are some fun - advanced beginner - techniques showcased.

I had this beautiful hacci sweater knit from Raspberry Creek Fabrics and needed a complementing woven fabric. I found the perfect burgundy in my stash (ie - I have no idea where it came from or how long ago!).

When I was getting the pocket ready, I wanted to add some interest, so I tried sewing the pocket on with a decorative stitch. I did not like it....but it gave me an idea! I took that decorative stitching and decorated the whole pocket - I love the way it turned out!

I also ordered some wooden buttons on Etsy. I was planning to use the wooden ones with flowers and I ordered the Boho ones on a lark. Upon auditioning them though I realized I loved the Boho buttons. The pop of color adds to the fun!

It has been a long time since I sewed button holes. I did a practice one, but even with that, I still messed one up. Pretty good. I picked it out once, but screwed it up again. This time I just tried to fix it manually. It doesn't look perfect. But it was good enough. I learned something along the way....

PSA - Make sure NOTHING touches the pull down sensor as you sew the buttonhole (not your finger, the folded over fabric or anything else...) This will make the buttonhole think it's done. That's super annoying. Unless you like to unpick buttonholes.

I also decided I should learn how to sew buttons on by machine. That is fun and fast!! Here's my "learned the hard way" tip from that exercise...

Pull the thread on the machine long before you start stitching. This gives you a long enough thread to hand tie it easily. When you finish sewing the button on, pull the threads out long again. I threaded these through a needle and went back down through the button and wrapped a shank around the threads before pushing the needle through to the back. You can then tie the top and bottom threads together to secure the stitching. Voila! Done!

See those cute Boho buttons???

The hood was the last detail and it went together without a hitch.

I love all the details on this sweatshirt and they were worth the extra time. As we head into spring, this may not be at the top of your to-make list, but add it to your Pinterest board (or however you keep track of the projects you want to sew) and file it away for fall...you won't be disappointed!!

Adjustments are good!!

I picked up this yummy fabric when I was in Germany late last year.

My husband was working in Stuttgart and I had been stalking sewing Instagram accounts and wanted to start sewing more clothing, but hadn't started in earnest yet, so I spent a day taking the bus and train from one fabric store to another and checking out all the fabric stores in town. I found this fabric at a great little store called Esro jersey fabric sales E. K.

They were super nice to me even though I speak almost no German! AFTER purchasing the fabric and getting it home I realized I really wish I had gotten the information about the fabric content. Unfortunately, all I can tell you is it is a knit jersey of some type. Super soft and drapey.... I had a pattern in mind, but changed my mind because I think this fabric was too stretchy. When I had the Sienna Knit Dolman fail then I realized that this fabric would make a beautiful Sienna Knit Dolman top. I measured myself and my measurements fit exactly to one size (that's kind of crazy....that never happens!!).

I decided to lengthen the sleeves. I have short arms. Because the sleeve is the same piece as the front and back, if your arms are very long, you may have trouble getting a long sleeved version to fit on your fabric. But I digress. This sewed up quickly and beautifully - but after wearing it a few times I decided it was really a little too big.

Sometimes I get frustrated by the adjustments that are always required with garment sewing. However, I'm teaching myself to think differently about it (a good skill for most things in life!!). Adjustments usually don't take that long in the big scheme of things and the payoffs are huge!! I now LOVE the fit of my Sienna Dolman top!!

To adjust it, I had to remove the neckband and then I took in the shoulder seams. This made the neck opening less gaping and took up some of the excess in the sleeves. I also cut off the sleeve hem and re-hemmed. I seem to always underestimate how short my arms are. When I had sewn the neckband on the first time, I top-stitched around it with a double needle. I like this look a lot, but it seemed to stretch the neck out a bit. It didn't look terrible, but I was a little disappointed. It also made removing the neckband a real pain! However, once I got it off, made the adjustments, and sewed it back on, I omitted the top-stitching and I think it looks better! No before pictures for you, because I'm still getting the hang of this blog documenting thing....but look at these cute ties that make some really nice ruching!! Love this detail!