Black microfleece three ways
29 January 2009, 15:21I had a few metres of black microfleece leftover from interlining my winter coat and I thought I’d put it to good use since it takes up so much room in my limited stash (and as you read yesterday, I have lots of new fabrics coming in!)
So to start off, I made yet another of my favourite BWOF sweatshirt, which I’ve already made before in red velour and also in blue fleece (twice, actually, as I made one for a neighbour, too).
(My neighbour Lucie was hosting our mooring’s craft night so I thought we’d do a photoshoot in a finished boat for a change!)
If you’ve got the November 2006 edition of Burda WOF, then it’s in there, otherwise, it’s available to buy as a reprinted Burda envelope pattern (with seam allowances and full instructions!) in the form of Burda 7890.
Fleece use #2 was to make up the scoodie (scarf + hoodie, get it?) pattern from Burda 8127:
This is a ridiculously easy pattern and I actually wouldn’t recommend buying the whole pattern just for it as you can really just trace any existing hoodie from a sweatshirt and add on some length for your ties. The only seam is along the back of your head to join the two halves, and the ties are left unfinished. I mean, the pattern instructions only give two steps, and the second one is really struggling to find something else to say…
I didn’t fold back the top of the hood because a) the extended hood keeps the rain off my glasses and I like it that way! and b) this is made from fleece, which doesn’t keep a crease! And sewing some grosgrain ribbon onto the back neck I think is there purely so you can tell which side goes up when you put it on. I just look at it for 3 seconds longer.
But embellishments aside, I really really like wearing this. It’s almost embarrassing how easy it was to make – I felt I should line it, or fold the edges or something, but I resisted temptation.
The other thing I like about this scoodie is that it reminds me of the balaclava I copied for my neighbour, Matilda, who I happened to catch the other day when she was wearing it walking past our boat with her mom!
And finally, my third use of the black fleece here was to make BurdaStyle’s Elana Mittens as this had a separate, two-piece thumb, and the one in the Burda winter accessories pattern with the scoodie was just a flat mitten. If you make this, do not use the serger! It will result in a mitten FAIL, like the one on the left!
Here’s a better shot of the nice sewing machine-made left hand, palm up and palm down:
Getting the thumb seams right was a bit tricky, and I think I need to go up a size to the large (though if I’m large, what’s a man supposed to do?) and make longer cuffs. But I need a pretty endless supply of gloves and mittens for walking around the boat, because of all the cold and wet metal handrails I have to clutch onto for safety’s sake. So as soon as one pair is wet, they go onto the radiator and I bring out another to wear.
You may have noticed that a jumper, scarf, and mittens are often seen more in knitting circles than in sewing, but there’s a reason why mine are sewn – I’m not really interested in knitting or crocheting… Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate what others make and I bear my yarn sisters no ill will, but for myself, well, yarn just does absolutely nothing for me whatsoever. Give me a million fabrics to touch and I’m in heaven, but yarn? eh. I wouldn’t normally bring it up, but lots of folks were asking if I’d like to learn to knit or crochet for my hospital stay. At this point I think I’d rather fill my days with embroidery, hand beading, plushie making, and maybe even some small-scale hand quilting…
Tags: burda, burda-style, bwof, fleece, top
Hmm, a mid-week craft night around here would be awesome. Somewhere with tea and cake, and crafty people as a chiding reminder to actually do more stuff…
— melt Jan 29, 06:00 PM #
Just wanted to say thanks for all the inspiration this new year! I’m still working my nerve up to sewing some stretch fabrics… any tips for someone without a serger (and no budget or space for one :)?
— Ruth Jan 29, 08:14 PM #
i’ve practically been living in my version of that top this winter, but what it’s missing is a scoodie! brilliant! just catching up on your latest posts, you have a lot going on – will be thinking of you. Lots of great sewing going on too.
— allisonC Jan 29, 11:54 PM #
Love the scoodie! I know how you feel about yarn, I can appreciate the fantastic things that others knit/crochet up but I just don’t have the patience or inclination for it:)
— Kate S Jan 30, 03:07 AM #
Hmm, that’s got me thinking. Why do some crafts click with some and not with others? I have friends who will happily spend 2-3 months knitting a cardigan, but say they haven’t got the patience to sew as you have to get the ironing board out! My Mum did sewing, knitting and crochet while I was growing up so they all seem quite normal. I have no interest in other related crafting addictions like spinning and jewellery making though. Maybe there’s a PhD thesis in there somewhere.
I love the top. I need to make more casuals.
— Zoe Jan 30, 10:01 AM #