Do you ever buy fabric that you absolutely adore, but then you’re too afraid to use it because its so fabulous? That’s what happened to me more than a year ago when I bought this fuzzy sweater knit from Surge Fabrics. It sat in my sewing room, looking soft and fuzzy, while I waited for the perfect pattern for this precious fabric. Finally, I decided to take the plunge with the Oversized Sweater from Patterns for Pirates and I LOVE it!!
This is the finished product. I LOVE it…it’s just what I wanted. I made a few modifications to the pattern to give me just what I was looking for: I wanted a sweater that was long enough to cover my rear end, loose without being huge, and with a mock neck/almost a cowl. So, I started out with a size 2X to accommodate my broad shoulders (and it fits perfectly in the shoulders!). I added 3″ to the overall length to get it to the length I was looking for. I also took it in at the hips by roughly 2″ and reducing that number to roughly 1/2″ at the armscye and reducing down to the wrist by 1/4″. This was not done in any “scientific” way…I just tried it on before I sewed on the cuffs and the band to see what I thought. I definitely decided I needed to narrow the body to get the loose, but not sloppy fit I was wanting. Once I figured out how much needed to take it in, I reduced the cuffs and the bottom band by the same amount. (I just reduced it gradually, from the hip up to the armscye and then from the armscye to the wrist.) One note: this pattern really is designed to be “oversized”…I did not need to add length to the sleeves which easily go half way down my hands and I’m quite tall, so keep that in mind if you decide to make one of these for yourself.
The construction of this pattern is so simple. I love that its finished with cuffs and a band at the bottom…no hemming! (Hemming would have been a pain with this fuzzy fabric!) To make this cowl version, I just took the neck bank measurement and I widened it to 9″ and attached it as if were a normal neck band. That’s it. Super simple.
I’m a big fan of this pattern. It was super simple to make and the perfect use for this fabric. Definitely worth waiting for. This was the second time I’ve made this pattern and my first positive first impression was definitely reinforced by this experience. Did I mention I constructed the entire sweater using the serger?? Seriously, such a fast make!! Also, look at my cute tag! It makes me smile whenever I see it.
That’s it for now! As always, stop pinning and saving, and start doing!!
I can’t get enough of the tags!
I think you need some!