I got this amazing quilted knit fabric about a year and a half ago in the garment district in NYC. I used the Linden Sweatshirt pattern by Grainline Studio. I’ve made this pattern in the past twice – a black and white version with a split hem band and a cropped tropical version. It had been a long time since I made either of those and I forgot how much I like this pattern. It sews up super quickly and I absolutely love the way that all of my versions have turned out. My past two versions were made of fabrics that … I probably wouldn’t use again… I chose them more for the print/pattern than for the feel of the fabrics. But I still wear both of those sweatshirts all of time!

I altered the pattern to have a split hem. I essentially just lengthened both the front and back pieces by different amounts. After I sewed the sleeves to the front and back pieces I finished the edges of the under arm/body pieces separately. I could then sew from the wrist up to the armpit and back down, stopping at the point I wanted my vent to start. I then hemmed the rest of the top, pivoting at the vents to sew the seam allowance down around both vents. I also lengthened the sleeves and omitted the cuffs on the sleeves. If I was going to make this again I would keep the cuffs because the seam on the sleeves is a little bulky and the hem cuff would at least contain the seam allowances at the wrists.

The split goes pretty high and the back is a lot longer than a typical sweatshirt. I really like having the top lengthened because I like the drama of it and it makes it feel extra cosy.

In the future I think I’d make a version out of a bamboo terry or a fabric that is a little softer since I think I would wear it so much. This version is super cosy and I love it but its a little bulky so its a little harder to wear.

This is my first time making the Grainline Studio Hadley top. I made view A for this version using a Kokka double gauze fabric I got from Fancy Tiger. I made a straight size 2 and I shortened it by 1 inch. other than that I didn’t make any adjustments. (Clearly I finished this top a while back and took photos a while back since this is not what Wisconsin looks like right now!)

I’m wearing this with my Lander shorts which I wore multiple times a week every week this summer. Maybe now that its cold out I should make some Lander pants?

I love the back hemline and I’ve been super in to hem facings lately. I enjoy sewing them mostly but I also like the structure it provides. I think I’ve been sewing more of them lately because I’ve been making shirts with more dramatic hems. This shirt definitely has a lot of drama in the back – there is a lot of fabric back there. I like the shape but I worry that it is a little overwhelming. Normally I grade out at the hips because I’m pear shaped but I didn’t do that with this pattern because there is already so much fabric there.

My main issue with this shirt is with the hook and eye closure – I can never get it to stay closed. I have this same problem on my Grainline Studio Farrow dress and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong… Do I need a narrow shoulder adjustment or something so the back of my shirt moves around less? Or should I just switch to a button and loop? I really don’t know so for now I’ll just be re-hooking multiple times a day.

 

Its pretty tricky to find fun apparel knit fabrics that actually look like something you would see in a ready to wear garment so when I found these two fabrics from Fashion Fabrics club I knew I wanted to give them a try. I used the Grainline Studio Lark tee pattern. At this point I’ve used this pattern for 5 other makes: my Lark PJs/Hudson Pants combo, my speckle cap sleeved lark, a gray bamboo knit short sleeved lark and a long sleeved stripe Lark as well as a wrap cardigan.

Both of the fabrics definitely feel like something that you would find in a ready to wear garment. They are a bit thin and I’m not really sure how they will hold up over time. The real test will be how the fabric holds up after multiple wears/washes. Because this fabric is drapier than other fabrics I’ve used in the past it does seem to fit better in the shoulders though.

The first version is a v-neck out of this really wide striped %100 rayon jersey. The bottom stripe is dark navy which sort of gets lost when I’m wearing dark jeans. However – since I’m pear shaped I think having the dark navy at the bottom was the correct choice since there isn’t a bright giant stripe at the widest part of my body.

My next version was a fun bright “paprika” striped knit which is 97% Rayon and 3% Lycra. I love that the stripes are uneven and that some of them are not solid lines. I would say that the fabric is a bit brighter than my usual go-to fabrics but after a dreary and cold Wisconsin winter I am searching for some additional color in my life! I made the scoop neck version for this one with the cap sleeves.

Both of these shirts are so easy to wear – I can see myself wearing them a ton this spring! I typically don’t go for “cheap” fabrics (I got both of these on sale for $4/yard) but I couldn’t resist the fun stripes! Hopefully they will hold up over time…