Fall Textures!

Sarah

6 years ago

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Itch to Stitch Patterns– they’re well designed, practical (read: mom friendly and no crazy styles that make me raise my eyebrows!), and the instructions are top notch: three of my biggest criteria when choosing a pattern company to sew from. On top of all that, the designer, Kennis Wong, is a genuinely thoughtful and kind person, so that you’re never afraid to ask a question in her group, or offer an opinion during testing.

When I heard that she had been robbed during her recent vacation, I was stunned- I’ve been the victim of several smaller thefts over the years (most notably when my very crappy car was stolen as a teen and subsequently abandoned because it broke down and the thieves had to walk to the nearest town- which was 10 miles away UPHILL- served the little bastards right!), but nothing on the scale that she experienced.

It was one of those situations when you want to do something to help, but you feel so small, and you’re not sure what could possibly ease the burden- and then I was offered a spot on the Itch to Stitch Love Blog Tour, and I was both thrilled and relieved, knowing this was something I could actually do!

I jumped onto the website, and grabbed a few patterns that I didn’t have but wanted to sew up anyway, and got to work! Fall really sets in here after Halloween, and I’ve been craving some warmer sweaters and jackets, so I chose the Arenal Top and the Hvar Jacket for my post. (And psst…don’t forget to read to the end to enter to win some PRIZES!)

The Arenal Top

The Arenal top is a really great little pattern, with two completely different silhouettes included. I chose the swing-y tunic length version, and dug through my stash to find a couple yards of loose weave cotton sweaterknit and a piece of lace/crochet trim from a Knitpop Auction box I scored last year.

I love the texture and color of the sweater and lace together, but I’ve been too chicken to use it- because it seemed like the sweaterknit might be a little difficult to tame (or as my friend Beth says, “it’s a grower”). The tour was just the push I needed to break through my hesitation, and I set to work.

I used the selvedge of the fabric for the center front and back, adding a seam allowance and cutting my front and back pieces in two so I could overlap them to show off the unique frayed edge.

I also cut the front as one piece without the shoulder insert- and then cut a piece of lace and topstitched it at the shoulder where the insert would have gone.

Finally, I modified the hem by eliminating the mitered corners (I didn’t think my luck would hold out for that trick on sweaterknit!), and applied the lace trim around the bottom after hemming. The neckband was the most challenging part- since the fabric did have a tendency to “grow”, getting the right tension was difficult, and my band ended up a little looser than usual and my neckline wider than I expected.

However, despite these challenges, I really love my new top- it’s unique and just my style.

The Hvar

Since the Arenal came together so well, I also had enough time to make the Hvar Jacket! Seriously, people- two makes in two days- you know these patterns have to be good!

The Hvar is drafted for wovens or very stable knits- but I had fallen in love with this extremely stretchy faux suede scuba knit at JoAnns, and decided to take the chance that it would work.

This fabric feels Uh-Mazing, even better than the real thing, in my opinion. Plus, its washable, so it’s much more likely to survive my #momlife and it’s first encounter with sticky baby fingers.

Aside from the fact that it didn’t want to press at all, the jacket came out really well. I love the back darts for hugging my curves, and the oversized front collar, which makes a bit of a statement.

I added in extra topstitching- both for effect and to help with the no-pressing issue. I also slimmed down the arms by 1″- I think I could have probably gone down a size entirely with this fabric, but by reducing the arm width I was able to achieve the right fit.

I still can’t get over how soft this jacket is (and neither can my family- they keep petting it!), and I’m loving the casual but still put-together look.

Side note: I spent half an hour trying to perfect a messy bun for these photos (I even watched you tube videos), and totally gave up. I don’t know if my hair is too thick/long or if I just suck at hair styling, but I had to go with a messy ponytail instead. I think I need professional training. Everyone has their niche, right? I’m totally open to tips though!

Don’t forget to stop by the rest of the bloggers on the tour- there are some kick-ass prize packs to be won, and I can’t wait to see what everyone has made! Of course, if you want to support Kennis by grabbing some of her awesome patterns– you can do that too!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d love to connect with you on Instagram or Facebook! Looking for more inspiration? Check out all my Itch to Stitch makes HERE!

Other info:

Gold/Cream Necklace- Gray C Glass

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Blog Tour/Prize Info!

Your ITS Love bloggers are

Monday: Sew Sophie Lynn, Merritts Makes, Sewing with Sarah, Sewing with D

Tuesday: Shalini’s Blog, Auschicksews, Rebel and Malice, Sewing Vortex

Wednesday: Replicate Then Deviate, mahlicadesigns, Sewing with D, The Petite Sewist, kreamino

Thursday: Sewing Curves, Creative Counselor, Sew Mariefleur, Fairies, Bubbles & Co, Sewing by Ti

Friday: Harper+Lu, MeMade, On Wednesdays We Sew, Heather Handmade, Bellevi, and visit by mooglii on IG

The ITS Love Tour sponsors have been so generous in support of Kennis of Itch to Stitch that we’ve been able to put together several prize packages to share with you.