sewing

On Thanksgiving I put off prepping for tile and got in a chunk of sewing time, enough to mostly finish a jacket I’d cut out a week earlier. This is the Pona Jacket from Helen’s Closet and, because it’s a pretty basic unlined jacket, I got it done over the weekend:

It’s hard to get modeled shots when you don’t leave the house, but this is slouchy and cozy and 100% like wearing an afghan.

That fabric is the real star–a poly/acrylic sweater knit I found at L’Oiseau Fabrics (now sold out). It’s low stretch so it did fine in a pattern meant for wovens; I skipped all interfacing because 1) that fabric wasn’t going to fuse and 2) I wanted it to be slouchy.

It was nice warm armor against a crazy Monday after a long weekend and it got lots of comments on Zoom. Success!

I love it when an indie pattern company releases a dupe of a fast fashion piece–we all save money and also garments get made by people who want to, who are earning more than $6/day.

Petite Stitchery wasn’t on my radar but they came up on Instagram and I saw their Mikal Jacket was pretty much an exact copy of the Free People Hit the Slopes Jacket (the one change was pocket flaps instead of zippers).

I’d impulse bought some neon sherpa fleece at Joann and it all came together:

This was a pretty easy sew, even with making my own bias binding out of supplex to match the trim (it looks like Free People uses foldover elastic, but I didn’t have enough). The collar construction is clever–everything is bound so you can just sandwich the seam allowance at the neck and boom, a nice finish:

The pattern didn’t give finished measurements so I made a large based on body measurements, but it’s definitely an oversized fit. If I make it again, I’ll size down, but it works for layering/being cozy.

And I definitely could make this again–look at all the solid sherpa colors at Joann right now!

I still have a stockpile of fleece (and all types of fabric, really) and a bunch of Catagonia labels, so I made myself a fresh one for the winter:

It even has cat hair on it already!

If you ever doubt the value of learning to sew, just look at the price of throw pillows with removable covers. Eighty to a hundred dollars? I think not!

These were “free” because the fabric had been sitting around for a while (since 2021 for the green print, when I meant to make a third new pillow for the couch, and since the spring for the orange print, when I thought I needed more quilt fabrics). The zippers were all from my stash and I even had contrast piping:

I decided I needed some in-between tops that had more heft than a t-shirt but less than a sweatshirt, since the mornings are cold but it’s still warming up for the afternoons. I also had some knit pieces that I’d impulse bought over the last couple years and then thought, “What am I going to do with these?”

Turns out you can make a Serious Business Lady turtleneck in a pegasus print and a long sleeve top with French darts covered in Rainbow Brites:

The pegasii are a Euro knit from Jumping June, in a test of the Wardrobe by Me Trudy Turtleneck. The pattern delivers on its promise of a classic fit, but next time I make it I’ll need to do a full bicep adjustment (the hazards of being TOO SWOLE).

Rainbow Brite is a much lower quality knit from a place called Purple Seamstress Fabrics, but that almost doesn’t matter because RAINBOW BRITE. I used the Named Patterns Sloan Sweatshirt for this one–a sweatshirt shape in a regular-weight knit is something I saw Nooworks doing and it’s such a smart idea.

I’d almost forgotten how fast knits are to sew. Next up, some fancy sweatpants to pair with my new, inner-six-year-old-approved tops.

My sewjo has been low lately, both because of that terrible pack sewing experience and because my brain is focused on COVERED BOXES. But I got an email last week that Grainline had 20% off their Field Bag pattern, and I had a kit (for a different bag) sitting around that had fabric and webbing, and I knew Grainline’s instructions would be impeccable. So I bought it and sewed it up in an afternoon.

I’m sharing the pattern illustration both because I didn’t get really detailed photos and because this is how it’s done. That LearnMYOG guy should take notes.

The webbing in my kit was wider than what the pattern called for, but it works. I like how it looks like a little pumpkin when it’s all gathered:

And it matches all my seasonally-appropriate sock projects:

Well, I’ve found a way to keep shopping for sewing stuff without buying more garment fabric: making outdoor gear. I got a few little kits from Ripstop By The Roll (when I ordered the fabric for the hip belt for my lumbar pack) and sewed them up in an afternoon.

First is a dry bag in Dyneema, which is the darling of the outdoor gear world because it’s so strong and light. It sewed normally but felt weird, like sewing paper or a really thin blue IKEA bag.

The kit had everything you need, including seam tape to make it waterproof, plus hardware.

I also got their general $10 DIY Kit to try out some different fabrics. The hardware included in that one would make a stuff sack, but I wanted a zip pouch to hold my headlamp and emergency space blanket.

I tried out the LearnMYOG pattern generator to get the dimensions I needed and used a zipper I had laying around. (There are SO MANY zippers laying around… and after this MYOG craze fades, I’m going to have so much outdoor fabric laying around. Bury me with lots of craft supplies, I guess.)

Big sewing achievement unlocked–I made a hiking pack! No, it’s not an ultralight 50L for backpacking, but it’s exactly what I needed: A comfy, colorful little friend for our shorter trips.

I love how functional this is–it held just enough water for a 2.5 hour jaunt, it held all our snacks and first aid stuff, and it was so comfy. There are “load lifter” straps that can cinch it up if it’s full so it sits tight and close to your back, and there’s a double foam panel in the back so it keeps it shape.

This is the Stitchback Patterns’ “Lumbar Pack”  and it was a beautiful pattern. Everything went together without any sweating and the instructions were super clear and detailed.

• I had the Ottertex canvas in lime and army green on hand, plus the orange zippers and orange mesh.
• The orange on the waist straps exterior is HyperD 300 from Ripstop By The Roll (oops I bought new fabric for it after all).
• The lime green toggles and orange buckles/webbing/grosgrain were from Strapworks.
• The khaki buckles, webbing, and shock cord plus orange spacer mesh were from Rockywoods.
• The pattern called for 5mm and 3mm EVA foam and I ended up just buying sheets of craft foam from JoAnn.

Some details: I added a front panel pocket and a key leash; those load lifters that are so cool;  the pocket in the interior for the 5mm foam panel (plus bound interior seams); a zipper pocket in the lid and interior tie loops.

Final verdict: I love this. It’s so nice to not have the weight of my Osprey pack dragging on my upper back. I didn’t realize how uncomfortable it was until I made this. (I’ve probably been wearing it badly adjusted for 12 years… )

Plus, having a waist pack means you can just swing it around and access your snacks, no need to stop and unload everything.

Great pattern, great sewing experience, and great usability–the trifecta of sewing unlocked!