My Grainline Studio Linden Sweatshirt...

A hectic pre-Christmas schedule meant that I did not get chance to blog about all my makes during the month of December. You may remember the difficult decision I had to make about the sweatshirt fabric I wanted (see here). As you can see, one of my chosen ones is the ever so on trend Burgundy, plait patterned, quilted, sweatshirt jersey! (Please note that Pantone's colour of the year for 2015 is Marsala, or to you and me; Burgundy!)I also went for a soft cotton ribbing in the same colour. 

I chose to make the traditional sweatshirt version and I decided to cut all the pieces flat, without a fold in the fabric to ensure that the plaited pattern stayed straight throughout. Although this was time consuming, it was certainly worth it. My advice to others is, don't try to wash and dry 5 yards of quilted sweatshirt material in one go, it takes over your whole flat! 

So, onto the making part. Grainline patterns have brilliantly clear instructions, so I found the putting together and sewing very simple. It was a very quick make. The ribbing had just the right amount of stretch to make the cuffs and neck/waist bands fit perfectly. The only issue was the thickness of the seams when joining the ribbing, but with a little bit of pulling through my overlocker, it did work. I would say the sewing was quicker than the cutting process!

As for the finished garment, the fit is on the larger size, despite following the finished garment measurements. However for the type of sweatshirt I was looking for, it does the job. I wore it over the festive period in the UK and Austria layered over a checked shirt and it looked great! I'm pleased with the fabric, it is very warm and soft. However, I have noticed some pilling already on the under sleeves. For the price, I can't complain!  At $60HKD a yard, I think it was good value for money. 

I now need to wait until it's a little colder in Hong Kong to wear this sweatshirt. I will certainly be pulling it out when I go skiing in Japan. I recommend the Grainline Linden without question for a quick and easy sweatshirt pattern that guarantees a nice shape. I think i'm going to make the short sleeved version soon as this will probably be worn more in Hong Kong. 

Too many Knitted fabric choices?!

I finally made the trip to Sham Shui Po to look at my knitted fabric options for the various projects that I have in mind. There are far too many choices and I went to two shops I had seen on a previous trip. The first shop was Kam Fung Trading Company, which stocks so many different knitted fabrics. This includes sweatshirt knits and t-shirt weight jersey's, which are on my list to buy. I'm primarily looking for stripes as you can see from my photographs, but I was drawn in by the cotton, quilted sweatshirt fabrics. I love this one below, which is a plaited effect!

The other fabric shop I went to was 'Bowa', which was next door to the other knitted shop on Yu Chau Street. This shop stocks lots of knitted jerseys that are primarily plain. They also sell a lot of different ribbed jerseys, which is also on my 'to buy' list.  The ones below are a mix of cotton(95%) and spandex(5%) and have a nice width of rib suitable for collars and cuffs of sweatshirts (ideal for my Linden!). 

My upcoming projects - Negroni and Linden

On my sewing table I have two projects waiting for me. One is my first dabble into menswear. I have decided to make a Colette Negroni for my husband. I've had a 'great' idea to make festive garments for each of us as we are heading to the UK for a family Christmas. I'm making a skirt for myself - probably a picnic blanket one. I figured that a shirt would be good for my hubby. 

So in preparation I have decided to do a test shirt. I bought some $10HKD a yard checked fabric from Sham Shui Po to try with. I've got it all cut out ready to go. Slightly nervous about it, but the instructions seem pretty clear. I have made a shirt before during my degree, so I'm hoping my memories of that returns!

The second project waiting for me is the new Linden sweatshirt by Grainline Studios. I have yet to make one of their patterns. With winter approaching, I was super happy when they released this gem! I took a trip to the 'knitted fabric' part of Sham Shui Po a couple of weeks back, but didn't purchase anything. The options we're overwhelming, so I need to donate a lot of time to the selection process. I saw so many different knits, including copious amounts of sweatshirt knits, I might have to make a few!  I will blog my experiences when I've been. The challenge of buying knitted fabrics is always an interesting one. 

Chances are that I will end up adding other projects to my list, but that's an exciting prospect! Watch this space...