From Pinterest to Pleased. My Chunky Sweater Dreams

I don't know about you, but I have thousands of pins on my 100+Pinterest boards. Many of my pins are aspirational and interesting, but I have rarely taken the next step to execute them. I have had a chunky sweater dress with a voluminous sleeve on one of my boards for a few years. I love the chunky cowl, the texture of the fabric, and the big sleeves of this Fall staple.

The sweater is available for purchase, in synthetic fibers and on what looks like a fast fashion website. Those factors did not appeal to me so I decided to make my own.

I was hoping for a wide wale ribbed knit fabric like that shown in the photo. I went to the Nature's Fabric  and was tempted away from my original plan by the wide range of colors of organic cotton thermals they offer. I chose the Honey for the yummy color and texture.

I hit my extensive pattern stash and pulled two patterns, one vintage one current with the plan to hack them to get what I want. I chose this vintage simplicity turtleneck pattern because I really wanted some drama with the neckline. (If you have a mock/turtleneck pattern on hand, extend the cowl to 17in. for a similar look.)

 

For the sleeves, I chose Vogue 1700 for the streamlined then, voluminous sleeve option of this top. It is perfect for the look I was hoping to achieve.

The construction was pretty straightforward. I kept the front and back bodice and upper sleeve of the of the vintage Simplicity dress. I cut the balloon sleeve and lower cuff of the Vogue pattern. I had 2 yards of fabric to work with. As you can see in the photo, I positioned the pattern to fit, not adhere to the grainline direction. Because it is a knit fabric, the fit will not be affected by this adjustment. I would not do this with a woven fabric, however.  

The balloon panel is gathered to fit between the sleeve and cuff. (The pictured pattern weights and pincushion pattern are available in my Etsy store.)

I stitched the sleeve in flat and sewed it with my serger.

I have a cover-stitch machine and am trying to use it more frequently on knit fabrics. For this project however, I opted to use a blind-hem stitch so as to not draw a line across the hemline. 

I am so in love with this sweater! It is just what I wanted and more.

I love the interest of the sleeve!

The fullness and drama of the cowl is wonderful

and a tiny bit silly.

The back is pretty simple with no shaping for a loose fit.

It is December on the calendar which means we are having mild Fall weather here in Texas (if you watch the news you know cuckoo bananas is the way of things down here!). I am looking forward to a few months of sweater, jeans and boots for my go to dressing. I will be adding a few more of these to my closet. The way Little Miss has been eyeing this one, I am sure I will need to add a few to her closet as well.

 

Happy Sewing,

Bianca