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.