Hello there! I’m excited to share a post with something I haven’t done too often, sewing a pattern again that I have previously sewn. I rarely sew a pattern more then once. That trend of mine is nothing against the patterns themselves, it more speaks to my enjoyment of testing new patterns. I love the process of testing and experimenting with new sewing patterns, learning new construction methods, experimenting with different garments styles, etc. That said, I really enjoyed the first two tops that I made with the Anegada pattern from Halfmoon Atelier and I’ve been wanting to make a third version.
I need to share a confession first, the starry version that I made (Version A) in the previous post, I had to give away to someone else. It ended up being too small for me. I learned that when I make this version of the pattern with denser fabric, I need to upsize (for more ease).
I picked this fun Black and White textured Spandex fabric from Simply by Ti’s shop** (shown in the photo above). The fabric has a nice, thicker weight to it. My thought with this project was to make a fancy sweatshirt, something that’s comfortable but looks nice to wear for going out. The black and white was a fun draw for me because it will go with everything in my wardrobe. This fabric was so popular that it sold out quickly in the shop, but this Vertical Striped Spandex fabric is a fun substitute (and new fabrics are being added frequently to the shop).
For this version I sewed, I made a few modifications to the pattern. I graded from a 4 to a 6 for the front and back pieces (and sewed a size 4 for the sleeves).
I decided that I wanted to lengthen the sleeves (longer then I did in the previous version). I went with a slightly longer 3/4 length. I made this mod by lengthening the sleeves by 4″ (10 cm) and I added the cuff as directed in the pattern.
Because I picked a thicker density fabric then the pattern recommended, the neckline didn’t naturally roll (as would a french terry fabric). I needed to hand tack the collar down in the front and the back neckline areas. I rolled the necklines three times and then hand sewed them down with little tack stitches along the front and back. I would like to roll the front neckline down a fourth time and hand tack it down (to lower the neckline down a little more). To decide how many times to roll the neckline, I kept pinning, trying it on, stitching, then try it on again, etc. The neck opening can really be fitted to your own personal preference for how deep of a neckline you like.
I also added a gusset in the back neckline of the top. The denser fabric did not drape in the back area, so bringing in the neckline with a gusset helped keep the same amount of fabric in the back area while taking in the extra density in the neckline.
I also made a mod to the overlapping, boatneck area at the shoulders. I wanted to bring the overlap in a bit, to hide bra straps. I following the directions but moved the perpendicular sew line out to 2″ (5 cm) from the shoulder seam, to customize the pattern a bit to me.
The length of the top with the thick waistband is very comfortable. It makes the top versatile to wear with a skirt or jeans for a date night out.
I have love the idea of making fancy sweatshirts to enjoy wearing and this one is definitely going to get lots of wear!
**I am a Simply by Ti Ambassador and received the fabric mentioned in this post as complimentary fabric in exchange for review and promotion. The fabric selected was my choice and the views expressed are my own.
oak blue designs 