I’ve been drooling over the lovely floral sweatshirts in my Pinterest feed for months, and I wanted to make one for myself. However, even after I ordered some floral french terry and a wonderful sweatshirt pattern, I dragged my feet making the project.
It finally dawned on me why I was avoiding the project. As much as I liked the look of the on-trend sweatshirt, sweatshirts aren’t really me. It’s not a shape that works well with my body, and the reality is that I would probably never wear it. The question was, could I translate what I liked about the trend into something more my style?
The answer is YES. Yes, I can.
I pulled out Ye Old Trusty Simplicity 2603, tweaked it a little more, and made Yet Another Drape Cardigan. It is not terribly exciting sewing-wise to make the same pattern over and over, but I am realizing the key to a handmade wardrobe are these Tried-N-True basics for wardrobe staples. Every time you sew them, you can tweak the fit a little more so they just get better and better. 
Now I have the floral sweatshirt comfort I wanted, in a style that feels very authentic to myself. I have wrapped myself in the cozy french terry 3 days out of every week since it was sewn, and I imagine I will continue to do so through the rest of this dark winter months.
Oh, and one more note! I have been converted to the double-needle finish for hemming knits. I don’t know what took so long because with on a serged edge, it looks just like a factory-finished cover-stitched hem. Next, I would like to try this “wooly nylon” bobbin thread everyone has been talking about.
Some tutorials on hemming knits:
more Simplicity Draper Cardigans:
What cozy projects are helping you survive these dark months?
This is so pretty! I love the floral print, but the dark front and sleeves make it really every-day wearable and not twee! Nice work!!!
Thanks! It took a while to find the right combination with the french terry’s available, but this one worked out so well, it was worth it.
This is a fun spin on the trend! I like that you changed it to something that works better for you. The floral is really pretty with the darker color. Hemming with a twin needle is great, isn’t it? The threads in my hems do still sometimes snap when I’m hemming that way, but not as often as a stretch stitch or zig-zag. I want to try woolly nylon too.
I just ordered some! I’ll let you know how it goes!
Such pretty french terry! Where did you find it?
Wanderlust Fabrics!