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Suit Up for Summer 2021 with Raspberry Creek Fabrics

Whew! What a year it’s been. Last year’s 2020 Suit Up for Summer blog tour was the last collaboration posted on my blog. Fortunately, the 2021 tour was the perfect opportunity to jump back into it.

This year I tried to keep things simple by sewing up two suits: one for myself and one for my son. They didn’t go quite as smoothly as planned but, all worked out ok in the end. Let’s get to it.

SUIT #1: A FLUTTER SLEEVE SEABRIGHT SWIMMER

FABRIC AND INSPIRATION

Fabric – Multi Stripe Swim, Inspiration

I can never say no to a good stripe and this pastel stripe swim knit immediately caught my attention. After selecting my fabric, a Pinterest and Google deep dive led me to find this Boden Limnos Wrap Swimsuit. I was drawn to the simple, romantic lines and the sun coverage on the shoulders.

CREATING THE SUIT

The Friday Pattern Company Seabright Swimmer seemed like a perfect starting point for my suit. I made a few small alterations to the pattern to get a look closer to the inspiration photo. The first simple one was overlapping the front wrap pieces by an extra two inches instead of meeting at the center front. Second, I added sewn in foam cups. Finally, I changed the sleeve to a small flutter. Below you’ll find a quick tutorial on how I created the flutter sleeve from the existing pattern piece.

SIZING

Based on my measurements, I chose to sew a Medium at the bust (I was between a Small and Medium) and grade to a Large at the waist and hips. I had no issues with the sizing and think the final suit fits quite well.

FLUTTER SLEEVE TUTORIAL
  • First, Grab your sleeve pattern piece. Cut it to your desired length. I cut mine about 3.25″ below the bottom of the armhole.
  • Then, start at the center and draw vertical lines every 1″.
  • Cut each line from the bottom. Just up to, but not through the top of the sleeve.
  • Place your cut sleeve piece on top of more paper and spread them each cut line apart evenly. Tape in place. I spread mine apart by 1″ at each cut line. If I had to do it again, I’d add a little more fullness and spread by 1.5″ at each cut line.
  • Redraw the bottom of your sleeve pattern piece.
  • Cut out your new pattern piece.
  • That’s it. Cut two mirrored pieces out of your fabric and follow pattern instructions for attaching the sleeve. You can hem the sleeves if desired. I left mine un-hemmed.
SEWING

This suit took about four times as long as it should have. First, I decided that I didn’t want the hassle of trying to match the stripes along the back so I removed seam allowances and combined the back bodice and back bottom pieces into one. It looks nice, but required me to change up the construction. This required too much thinking for someone who’s out of practice improvising and I spent a lot of time seam ripping my mistakes until I figured out a workable solution. In the end, the suit is fully lined but the side seams are just exposed serged seams on the inside. Not my most professional finish but, since nobody else will see them, I’m not bothered.

Overall, I didn’t mind sewing the pattern. It was a good pattern and the issues were all of my own doing. Trying not to destroy swim lining and swim knit when ripping seams for the second, third, and fourth times was a challenge and I may have uttered several choice words as I was doing it.

THOUGHTS ON THE FINAL SUIT

Despite saying this every time I make a swimsuit, this one might be my favorite. With a decent amount of sun coverage (hello, fully covered back and shoulders) and just a hint of skin with the low neckline, it feels sexy and practical all at once. If I made this suit again, my only changes would be adding some extra volume to the flutter sleeves and extending the shoulder seams out towards my arms by about 1/2″.

Now, for a quick tangent about these images because I love how they turned out. We don’t have a pretty place with decent lighting in our house for photos, our yard is muddy and dull this time of year, and I don’t really want to take photos in a public place in my swimsuit when its 40 degrees outside. So, each year we’ve made due by hanging a curtain in the garage and using it as a backdrop for swimsuit photos.

Maybe I just watched too much of it (made it through the full season twice) but the coloring of this stripe reminded me of Bridgerton. So, inspired by Bridgerton, I wanted to create images that felt simultaneously soft and bold. I purchased 2.5 yards of this floral ponte (now retired, sorry) also from Raspberry Creek to use as a backdrop.

Remember how I kept making mistakes and this suit took significantly longer to make? Well, we were originally supposed to photograph this suit last Thursday which was a beautiful, sunny day with highs in the 60’s. Instead, by the time the suit was finished, the only time we had to take photographs was on a cloudy, rainy Saturday morning with highs in the 40’s. The cloudy day made my garage too dark for photos so, our only option was outside. My husband had a good laugh as I was outside wearing my large snow boots setting up the backdrop. Then, he was a great sport as we spent about 15 minutes in the rain snapping these shots. By the time we took the ones where I’m sitting down, both my suit and the fabric were soaked through. What do you think? Were the images worth it?

SUIT #2: SEW LIKE MY MOM PALM EURO SUIT

I’ve been sewing this pattern for my son since the pattern’s release in 2018. He’s owned maybe a dozen of them through the years and loves the comfort of the fully lined and fully enclosed seams. I sewed up a straight size 7 and the fit is spot on. A pair can be sewn up in about an hour and uses surprisingly little fabric. This suit used less than half a yard (although I still needed 1/2″ for the length of the legs). He chose the rainbow floral swim knit from Raspberry Creek for this pair of jammers and I love how they turned out! He was so pleased with the suit that, after these photos, he wore it under his clothes for the rest of the day.

Due to the cold, we didn’t get many photos of him in his suit as he didn’t want to be out in the rain long and I wasn’t about to force him to do so. We snapped what we could get in less than 5 minutes.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this stop on the Suit Up for Summer 2021 blog tour. Be sure to check out all the other talented creatives this week as they share their suits. You don’t want to miss them!

Sew Mary Mac  Merritts Makes  Wild + Wanderful  Call Ajaire

Made by Kates  Violet and Jewels  Sweet Mama Life  All Things Katy!

Intensely Distracted  Pins & Pinot  My Heart Will Sew On  The Petite Sewist

All My Spare Time  Kara Metta  Handcrafted by RED  Sincerely, Shantelle

Replicate Then Deviate  That’s Sew Kari  Desert Blooms  Boo + Lu





Titchy Threads  Sew A Little Seam  Simple Life Pattern Co.  Pattern for Pirates  Ellie and Mac  

Lowland Kids  Gingham Hive  Striped Swallow Designs  Honeydew Kisses  Little Lizard King  

Jennuine Designs  Greenstyle Creations  Made for Mermaids  Call Ajaire  Hey June  Boo Designs! 

  Sofiona Designs  Love Notions  Lil Luxe Collection  Jalie  Sweet Red Poppy


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Suit Up for Summer 2020 with Raspberry Creek Fabrics

Disclaimer: The fabric for this post was provided to me by Raspberry Creek Fabrics. However, all words and opinions are my own.

Hello! It’s been a minute. This year seems determined to keep everyone on their toes. Posting about swimsuits at this time may feel a bit frivolous but, projects such as this one are keeping my spirits up. Truthfully, without deadlines, I’m not sure that I’d be able to focus on much of anything at the moment. Enough about my state of mind, let’s talk about these suits.

Fabrics

I personally had a hard time narrowing down my favorite prints from the Raspberry Creek 2020 swim line. My son, on the other hand, immediately knew that he wanted this banana print. I eventually figured it out and selected the tangerine micro stripe and leopard print for my suits.

Note: For this week only, you can use the code: SWIMTOUR for 15% off swim fabrics only over at Raspberry Creek Fabrics. 

Palm Euro Suit

I’ve made no less than ten Sew Like My Mom Palm Euro Suits since the pattern was released two years ago. This kid LOVES them. I love that they use a relatively small amount of fabric and can be sewn up in 30-45 minutes. The banana pair below is a straight size 6 with a 7 length in the jammers option.

Women’s Top #1: Belen Bodysuit Top Hack

This swimsuit wasn’t actually a planned pairing. Once I finished my son’s banana print jammers, I had a bit of the banana print left and decided to use it as a practice for recreating a coveted ready-to-wear suit (here). Since sewing my first Belen Bodysuit last fall, I’ve wanted to use the pattern as a base for swimwear. This hack provided the perfect opportunity.

Cutting

For this hack, you simply need the bodice front and bodice back pieces from the Belen pattern.

  • Remove 4 inches from bottom of front and back bodice pattern pieces.
  • Cut 1 front bodice and 1 back bodice from main swim fabric.
  • Cut 1 (2 if adding removable swim cups) front bodice and 1 back bodice from swim lining.
  • Cut one strip of swim fabric 5″ x (circumference of bodice bottom + 14″) for bottom band. For reference, this ended up being 5″ x 37″ for me.

Construction

Optional: If adding removable swim cups, use your two front bodice lining pieces to create openings for your swim cups. I used the directions in this post as a guide, omitting the under bust elastic.

1. Follow sleeveless Belen Bodysuit bodice instructions.

2. Baste or serge bodice and bodice lining together at the bottom.

3. Fold bottom band right sides together, cut short sides at an angle if desired.

4. Using a 3/8″ seam allowance, stitch along short sides and 8″ in from each end of the bottom band long sides. Turn right side out.

5. Mark your center front with a pin. Starting 1/2″ from center front, pin the bottom band top to the bodice bottom all the way around to 1/2″ away from the center front. This should leave a 1″ gap at the bottom of your center front bodice with 7 and 1/2″ of the stitched band ends hanging free at center front. See photos below for reference.

Women’s Top #2: Alexandria Swimsuit Top

The top was inspired by a pin on my Apparel Sewing and Inspiration Pinterest board. In search of a tie front wrap swim top, I settled on and purchased the Made for Mermaids Alexandria Swimsuit pattern. It’s a one-piece swimsuit but, there’s a top hack tutorial on the M4M blog meaning the guesswork was done for me.

Sizing

The Alexandria is the first Made for Mermaids pattern that I’ve used so the sizing system is new to me. The sizes are colors and coincide with the color of the lines on the PDF pattern pieces. Following the pattern measurements, I opted to sew a size purple bust graded to an indigo at the waist.

Sewing

This was the part of the Alexandria that wasn’t my favorite, mostly due to my own errors and the fact that I generally prefer my swimwear sewing to be a little less involved. Construction took somewhere around four hours. Here’s where I admit that I went a little rogue and didn’t actually follow all the steps outlined in the pattern or hack tutorial. This would be my downfall. There was a brief moment when it came time to hem the bottom of the swim top that I wasn’t sure it would work. I got creative and made it work, but learned my lesson about following the directions. Learn from my mistakes.

Cottesloe Swim Bottoms

After getting creative with my swim tops, I decided to keep it simple with the bottoms. I used high waisted option of the Megan Nielsen Cottesloe Swimsuit pattern for both pairs. Both have the waistband omitted and are a size 10 at the waist graded to a 12 at the hips. Each took about an hour to assemble.

There you have it! Five pieces, two hacks, three full suits, and a few mix and match options as well. Looking forward to the future has seemed bleak as of late but, these suits have me hopefully looking forward to a time when we can wear them outside of our garage. If, like me, you’re in need of a little sunshine in your life at this time, click the blog links below for swim inspiration coming your way all week.

Thanks for reading!

 
It’s Liesel House of Curves Stitching and Making Replicate then Deviate

 

A HUGE thank you to all our pattern sponsors!!!

 

Simple Life Pattern Company  Love Notions  Hey June Handmade             New Horizons Designs 
Sew A Little Seam  Jilly Atlanta  Ensemble Patterns  Petit A Petit & Family 
Striped Swallow Designs  Jennuine Designs  Jalie  Ellie & Mac  Sew Like My Mom  Lowland Kids  Phat Quarters  
Greenstyle Creations  Chalk & Notch  Made For Mermaids  Lil Luxe Collection  Violette Field Threads  Patterns For Pirates  
Rebecca Page  Shwin Designs  Sinclair Patterns  Call Ajaire  Boo Designs  Tadah Patterns

And again! Remember for this week you can use the code: SWIMTOUR for 15% off swim fabrics only over at Raspberry Creek Fabrics. 

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#SewFreeFall: Peppermint Wrap Top

Fall is here! The leaves are changing, everything is pumpkin flavored, AND I can walk outside without sweating profusely. The changing of seasons is a glorious time, indeed! It’s inspired me to set a few goals for the last months of the year. One of those goals was to finally sew up some of the free PDF patterns that have been languishing on my hard drive. With that, I present to you #SewFreeFall. Each month I’ll sew up one or two free patterns and share them here. I’ll also include a few round-up posts here and there as I use and discover favorite free patterns (If you’re looking for a pretty exhaustive list, Sew Shannon recently posted an awesome one here). This isn’t a formal challenge as there aren’t currently any prizes to be awarded. Although there aren’t any prizes, I’d love it if you’d join me in sewing up some free patterns. Use the #sewfreefall on IG and share how you’re using free patterns in your fall sewing practice. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get crazy and add in a prize or two at some point.

Peppermint Wrap Top

The first up in my Sew Free Fall queue also happened to be the newest free pattern on my radar; the Peppermint Wrap Top by In the Folds for Peppermint Magazine.

Fabric

This Brussels Washer Linen in Leather Brown has been a favorite since I used some for the Arenite Pants in these photos (original post here). The rayon/linen blend combines the best qualities of each fabric. It has the crinkly texture and breathability of linen with the softness and drape of a rayon. Heaven in a fabric, I tell you. After nearly four months of regular washing and wear, I knew my love for this fabric wasn’t ending any time soon. Once I saw this wrap top pattern, two more yards were quickly purchased.

Sizing and Alterations

Using the measurements provided, I chose to cut a C at the bust graded to a D at the hem. I cut a straight C on the wrap part of the front pieces. The only place I actually graded to a D was on the side seams. As far as fitting goes, the only change I’d make a second time around would be moving the bust darts up about 1/2″ higher. They’re a little low on me as-is. For this version, the dart position didn’t bother me enough to unstitch the french seams. My only other alteration was shortening the sleeves. This decision was made more out of necessity than design choice but, I’m actually quite happy with the result.

Construction

During construction, I closely followed the directions and fully enclosed each seam. The result is a top that is almost as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside. While the instructions were straightforward and decently easy to follow, I would recommend that you read up on french seams if you’ve never done them before. Don’t let that scare you. French seams are one of the easiest ways to get a beautiful seam finish on the inside and I used to teach them to my beginner students when I taught sewing lessons.

If you can set-in a sleeve, sew a french seam, and sew a straight line; you are 100% ready to tackle this wrap top. Taking the time to sew french seams means this wasn’t the quickest sew. However, I was still able to finish it over the course of a couple afternoons.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been dreaming of a linen two-piece set for about a year now. The trickiest issue for me was always deciding on a pattern or fabric combination. When the Wrap Top pattern released, I knew the simple shape and design lines would make an excellent complement to my Arenite Pants. Now, I don’t want to wear anything else. The best part about this outfit is that it gives the look of a jumpsuit while maintaining the option to wear both pieces separately. Three cheers for versatility! It also happens to blend nicely with the background at the park where we snapped these photos. If I played hide-and-seek there, nobody would ever find me.

Overall, I’m delighted with the result of my first Sew Free Fall project. If I make this top again, I’ll address the dart fitting issue but it’s not a big enough one to keep this version from regular wear. The whole outfit is comfortable enough to be criminal. Now, please excuse me while I sew one of these outfits in every available color of Brussels Washer Linen.

Thanks for reading!

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Sew Liberated Arenite Pants with Raspberry Creek Fabrics

Disclosure: The fabric used for my pants was provided to me by Raspberry Creek Fabrics. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Two blog posts in two days? Who even am I? The truth is I’m trying to squeeze in every bit of work in before my son starts summer break tomorrow. It’s been such a blessing this last school year to have a couple of hours (kindergarten is only half day here) to myself to sew and work in the middle of the day instead of late at night. It’s allowed me to connect and collaborate more without completely burning out. I don’t know what the summer holds but, hopefully I’ll still find some time to be active around these parts. Speaking of summer break, my wardrobe was in serious need of pants that don’t look like pajamas, coordinate with almost anything, AND keep me cool even when I decide to cover my unshaven legs. Enter my latest make…the Arenite Pants by Sew Liberated (I purchased my pattern through Indiesew here). Ready for all the details? Let’s do this.

Fabric

After a bit of internal debate and some time spent scouring the Raspberry Creek Fabrics website, I knew what I had to do. Is there anything that screams summer more than a good pair of linen pants? The sewist in me says “No.” For this pair I selected the Brussels Washer Linen in Leather Brown. I would characterize the actual color of this as a golden brown or toasted marshmallow, if you will. If you’re unfamiliar with the Brussels Washer Linen, it’s a lightweight rayon/linen blend. Most of the colors (check out all the colors RCF has available here), including this one, are made with two different color threads woven together which give extra dimension to the look of the fabric. It’s weight feels breezy and cool while still having just enough substance to be opaque (kind of important for pants). After the first wash it gains a perfect crinkly texture and is less scratchy than most 100% linens. Fabric spiel over. Let’s talk about this pattern.

Pattern, Sizing, and Alterations

The Arenite Pants as drafted are a bit oversized with huge slouchy pockets. I love the original design but personally don’t love too much extra bulk around my hips. Several ladies in the sewing community have been slimming down the pattern pieces and hacking them to resemble the Elizabeth Suzann Clyde Pants. THIS was a look I could get behind. Thankfully, I didn’t have to do too much in the thinking department because Meg of Sew Liberated has added the slim leg hack instructions in her Instagram highlights (find the instructions on her IG profile here).

These are the tired eyes of a mom who has been sick for a week hence, the sunglasses in most of the other photos.

I followed Meg’s hack instructions almost to the letter and it worked a treat. As per her instructions, I sized down 3 sizes (from a 12 to a 6), removed width from the side panels and pocket linings, and added length back in where needed. I made a slight deviation in adding 1.5″ to the top of the front pant, back pant, and pocket panel pieces. This raised the waist of the pants so it fits centered over my belly button and perfectly high-waisted. Long gone are my days of low-rise pants. To account for my height, I also added 1.5″ to the length at the lengthen/shorten line. I’m thrilled with the overall fit of this pair although I may opt to slim the calves just a touch more on my next pair.

Construction

I’ll admit that unless I’m unfamiliar with a technique or testing a pattern, I rarely follow instructions. For ease of construction, I opted to skip the flat fell seams and instead simply serge the raw edges and topstitch all seams down. I intended this pair to be an ace wearable muslin and didn’t want to spend twice as long making the pants if they ended up not fitting correctly. If I do use a rayon challis or tencel, I may try flat felling those seams for security. Since I didn’t flat fell the seams, these pants came together in about 3 hours. It was easy and relatively fuss-free. Perfect for a pair of pants that I plan to make again and again.

Final Thoughts

I’m currently sitting in bed still wearing my Arenite Pants. The comfort level is extreme. In fact, I could very likely sleep in these. My only qualm about the entire making process is that I definitely should’ve chosen to get 2.5 yards instead of the 2 I had. It took an epic pattern tetris battle and waistband pieced from scraps but, I made it work. The remaining fabric scraps fit in one hand. Next time I’ll save myself a bit of trouble and just order a bit more fabric.

Other than shorting myself on fabric, the process was seamless and I’m pleased with the finished product. The only slight changes I plan to make in my next pair will be slightly slimming the ankles and raising the top of the pockets by about 1 inch. I love this pair and have full faith that with the next pair I can achieve summer pant perfection.

Curious about the shirt I’m wearing here? It’s one of my tester versions of the Perkins Shirt made in a Black and White Stripe Rayon Challis that I purchased last year from Raspberry Creek. Read more about it here.

Thanks for reading!

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Sewing for Spring with Raspberry Creek Fabrics

Here in Utah, winter is showing no signs of stopping soon, but that hasn’t stopped Raspberry Creek Fabrics from brightening the season with their Spring 2019 Club release. If you’re unfamiliar with the Club line, it’s printed in house by Raspberry Creek and only available through them. This release has 8 collections and over 50 prints total. A majority of the prints are available on cotton jersey and french terry with a few options available on ponte and rayon challis. As part of the Raspberry Creek Fabrics promotional team, I was able to choose a couple of my favorite prints to sew up and share. Let’s get to it!

My Son’s Cardigan

Upon seeing the spring preview, my son saw this Giraffe Print French Terry (also available in cotton jersey) and said, “Mom! I want to look like a giraffe.” I’m a big believer in using fashion as a form of self-expression so I happily obliged. I chose the cotton french terry as it’s my preferred substrate for my son’s joggers and sweatshirts. It’s got enough weight to hold up to the abuses of a 5 year old, while also being light enough for year-round wear.

His wardrobe contains plenty of pants and tees but is sometimes lacking when it comes to jackets and sweaters. With his input, I settled on making a Petit a Petit Goodall Cardigan (find it free in the Petit a Petit Facebook group). I chose a size 6 which was right in line with my son’s measurements. The intended fit is oversized and I love that my son will likely get at least a year or more of wear out of this cardigan before he grows out of it. If you prefer a more fitted look, I would suggest sizing down. Sewing was straightforward and took somewhere around 2 hours start to finish.

My Perkins Shirt

I couldn’t let my son have all the fun with the Club Spring release and this Abstract Floral rayon challis caught my eye almost immediately. The large scale gives the fabric a modern look while the coloring screams spring. After last month’s frantic fancy pants sewing, I’ve been spending February focusing on tops to pair with my fancy pants. Rayon challis is my favorite substrate for woven tops and I knew this print would be a welcome wardrobe addition.

Although I planned to make some sort of top, I waited to receive the actual fabric before deciding on a pattern. Sometimes you just need to drape a fabric around your body to find out what it wants to become. Eventually I decided to sew up an Ensemble Patterns Perkins Shirt. I tested the pattern last May (see my test versions and more pattern details in this post), and my gathered version has become one of my wardrobe staples.

I again opted to make the cropped version. Other than adding 2 inches to the length, I sewed a straight size 4. Sewing took place over an afternoon and an evening taking maybe 4-5 hours total. The result is a top that I’m sure will be worn regularly throughout the spring and summer months. The soft pastel colors paired with the boxy shape make the look feel unexpected and just right all at once. I can’t wait to mix and match this Perkins Shirt with different pieces of my handmade wardrobe style it in new ways.

Conclusions

I’ve been a customer of Raspberry Creek fabrics since 2017 and have used their Club line french terry for nearly 20 pairs of joggers, several sweatshirts, and a few tees. Although I knew the french terry cardigan would be a hit, this was my first time using the Club rayon challis and I was happy to find that it sewed beautifully. The printing process can make the fabric feel slightly stiff until the first wash but, it softens well after washing. Now that I’ve used it, I think that I’ll start purchasing and using it more often. My son is overjoyed to have a giraffe cardigan and both of these makes will likely be favorites throughout spring.

My son and I both paired our Spring ’19 Club Fabrics with pants made from Cone Mills Black Stretch Denim purchased from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. Mine are the Ginger Jeans (posted about these exact pants in this post) and his are the Misusu Patterns Olli Summer Pants.

Thanks for reading!

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Gemma Sweater and Ginger Jeans in Raspberry Creek Fabrics

Hello! Today I’m sharing my latest outfit made from fabrics available online through Raspberry Creek Fabrics. You may have noticed by now that I’m a bit of a fabric collector and have several online fabric stores from which I regularly purchase. Raspberry Creek has a great selection of designer fabrics along with their in-house printed CLUB line. I was introduced to RCF in the summer of 2017 and just recently moved closer so that picking up my online orders could be even easier. Ok, so maybe that’s not actually why I moved to a new area, but it’s a nice perk. 

I’ve wanted to make the Named Clothing Gemma Sweater since it was released last fall. Instead, I made the dress version first (see that here), and put away the idea of a sweater for a while. It’s been in the back of my mind since, just waiting for the perfect fabric combination to come along. I wanted something with enough stretch to be comfortable, but the  correct weight and structure to really showcase the shape and style lines of the pattern. About a month ago, I was browsing Raspberry Creek Fabrics when I came across the solid ponte and knew I’d found my Gemma fabric. I chose the olive (sold out, but soon to be restocked) and charcoal for a combination that I’ve dubbed my Slytherin sweatshirt. 

A couple of years ago, I had some time to waste and decided to take the sorting quiz on Pottermore. I was perplexed when I found myself sorted into Slytherin. At first I felt almost ashamed by this because I don’t necessarily think of myself as the Tom Riddle or Draco Malfoy type. Like any millenial, I took a couple of minutes to have a mini identity crisis. Quickly, I remembered that the sorting hat allowed Harry to choose his house. In my situation (where none of this actually mattered because my life isn’t a fictional story), I decided that this means we get to choose which traits we want to embody.  loyalty and ambition aren’t bad traits and they are something I try to cultivate so maybe I can be a proud Slytherin after all. 

Ok, enough about my Hogwarts identity crisis. Let’s get back to talking about this sweater. Based on my measurements, I decided to cut and sew a size 38 (US 6). The only alteration made was to add 1″ to the length of the body and the sleeves.

I traced the pattern and cut the fabric in one afternooon, sewing it up the following afternoon. After a series of involved sewing projects, it felt liberating to start and finish something so quickly. This was my first experience sewing ponte fabric and it was much easier than expected. Despite a decent stretch percentage, it’s stable enough to sew easily without some of the headache that comes with sewing a lighter knit such as a cotton or rayon lycra. Overall, I’m so pleased with this sweater and enjoyed the process so fully that I’m considering buying a couple more colors of the RCF ponte and making matching sweaters for my sisters. 

Finally, let’s talk about these Ginger Jeans. This is my third pair of jeans and I made all the same alterations that I made to the first two (read about my sizing and alterations in this post). I’ve wanted a pair of black denim Ginger Jeans since before I dared tackle sewing a pair. In fact, one of my excuses to put off sewing jeans for so long was the difficulty in sourcing the “perfect” denim. Back in September, I unfortunately ended up  pulling an all-nighter while attempting to launch this new site. The next day, Diana posted in the Raspberry Creek Fabrics Facebook Group that Cone Mills denim had just been added to the site. In my sleep-deprived mind, I easily justified purchasing 3 yards of this tencel stretch denim. Patting my tired self on the back for this one because these black denim Gingers are dreamy. 

Just as anything handmade, there are a few imperfections and I can’t quite say that there’s absolutely nothing I’d change fit-wise (there are a few more wrinkles below the rear than I’d like), but all of my Gingers fit me 10x better than ready to wear jeans ever have and I’ve enjoyed immersing myself in the construction process each time. Jeans and pants have quickly become some of my most enjoyable and rewarding items, so if you’re on the fence about making some, what are you waiting for? Grab some Cone Mills denim and get to it. 

If you’ve made it here to the bottom, Thanks for reading. My favorite part of writing a post is finally having my items photographed so they can be added to my regular closet rotation. These two pieces are sure to get their fair share of wear as the temperatures drop over the next several months. What are you wearing/sewing for fall and winter? 

Want more Raspberry Creek Fabrics Inspiration? Check out my french terry loungewear set.  Want to see more of my Named Clothing makes? Check out my Ronja Dungarees or Gemma Dress. 

Full disclosure: The fabric for my sweater was provided to me, but all opinions are my own.Â