Summer sweaters

Summer seems to be over, and it’s definitely time to move on to autumn sewing, but I still have a lot of catching up to do on my blog posts.  Please bear with me, as I continue posting my summer stuff.    Sewing was fairly steady throughout the summer, even a little hectic when it came time to having my class samples ready for the beginning of September.  (But class samples at this time of year count as autumn, not summer.)  And as is the usual excuse – it’s the picture taking that let me down.

So…  The last few summers were fairly cool, and my first thoughts for summer sewing this year were lightweight sweaters.  (Little did I know…)  Back in May (possibly early June) I just happened to come across two summer knits while shopping “only for thread ” at Fabricland.  Of course they came home with me.  They did not even make it to the fabric cupboard – prewashed, cut and sewn in fairly short order.  As luck would have it, once summer actually got going, the weather was very hot and humid, and sweaters of any description were definitely not in the picture.  Now it’s cooler, and there has been occasion to don my new sweaters.  Had to wear them at least once before the real need for autumn clothing!

I dreamt up the need for a white knit duster.  This knit is 100% cotton.  Feels good.  Behaves badly.  Wrinkles terribly.  Sags.  Stretches out of shape.  Looks like a bathrobe??  I adlibbed from the New Twinset from Pamela’s Patterns.  Lengthened the pattern, added pockets and a band, widened the sleeves and added cuffs.  

Shown here with a tank t-shirt dress, also a Pamela’s Patterns hack – from the Perfect t-shirt pattern.  

One wear, and this cardigan/coat needed a wash.  (Might be the extravagant length, which swept the floor as I sat, the side of the car as I got in and out, etc.)  If I don’t wear this again between now and cooler weather, I just might rethink this creation next year, or … may-be I should just relegate it to “beach wear” and leave it be.  (Of course, that would actually require that I get myself to a beach.)

a little sheer - does require a cami

Next - the black and cream stripe – of undetermined content.  Whatever it is - it feels quite nice.  I wanted a loose comfy sweater, and I guess that’s what I got.   

could I be any less enthused?

Once again I used my old Butterick 5948 

copyright 1998! - can't believe it's still in the catalogue!

top pattern (which is actually for wovens), the bateau neckline is from Pamela’s Patterns additional necklines for t-shirts.  The sleeves grew cuffs.  

I don’t know if I’m happy with this one either, though I was comfortable enough wearing it for a whole day.  And on my bottom half – the latest jeans (I’m still tweaking the fit!).  Black cotton stretch fabric.  And I finally decided to narrow down the legs and move on to skinny jeans.  Can’t say I’d want to narrow the legs down any more than this.  The problem I have with really skinny pant legs, is that they seem to ride up and catch on my legs when, for example, I sit in the car.  Getting out of the car, I feel the need to bend over and pull down the pant legs.  Not very elegant!  Am I the only one with this problem??  Or may-be I need to make the legs so skinny that they clamp down on my lower leg and move not at all.

I’ll stop here for now.  More pictures later!