Sweater Remake and Seamwork Astoria

I got this sweater at the euro rail - its one of the few things I bought in a charity shop this year.  I am trying to get through what I have here - but I seem to make an exception for the euro rail - I often think these are the 'no hope-ers' and bound for landfill.  I love this colour, the fabric is cotton knit/ jersey.  The sweater colour is uneven due to wear and laundry, but to me this was part of the appeal as the colour now looked slightly textured,   












For the remake, I used the Astoria pattern.  It was all straight forward.  I added 5 inches to the length, and made the sleeves as long as I could.  I sewed it using the overcast stitch on the 'new' machine.  (so handy)

Cut out

Cutting Sleeve - I use bulldog clips to keep the two layers together, and it stops the fabric rolling back in.

I was unsure about the neck finish, and luckily I had some of the same shade in yarn, left 
over from a previous project!  (its a colour I like).  I turned the edges and machine basted them, and blanket stitched them.  The trim is a mix of double and treble (uk) stitches.

Inside....

Outside.....

Love how it turned out -I cannot believe how quick and easy these types of sweater remakes are, (and the corresponding amount of sweaters on the men's rail in charity shops).  I have a few more sweaters to remake soon, but I am hoping to try a few different finishes, like embroidered hems and embroidered embellishments....   

grey jumper #2

I got a gorgeous grey merino men's jumper a few weeks ago.  Its a large mans jumper, and a great shade of grey.  The crochet sweater I am making for my grey wrap skirt is still being hooked (I am on the fourth restart ..... this better be the last version), so I thought I would make something from this.

I had a few thoughts in my head,
- a wrap close cardigan with a length of satin ribbon as trim 
- a cropped sweater, 3/4 sleeve with boat neck
- a regular cardigan

but decided on copying an item from my wardrobe.  I copied a pattern from a thrifted fine knit I got some years ago.  Its probably a 'neither here nor there' sweater, but its a good layering piece (its cashmere ), easy colour and gets worn quiet a bit.

I laid the sweater out, and traced, folding over the main sweater trace and cutting to make sure each side was even.  In the remake I had to do a few strips to make the sleeve width, but it was worth it as I was able to do a generous box pleat at the 'cuff' of sleeve (the pleats in the thrifted sweater are in different locations and are knitted into a cuff).  I would have liked (and am thinking of trying this pattern again) to give a bit more weight to the collar by doubling up the fabric (rather than using a strip of fabric and hemming it).

The sweater has a nice shape, its got a dropped shoulder, and some shaping at the waist - I kept the ribbed band in the cut for hem and its perfect.  I am glad I put the one large pleat in the sleeve as it gives a bit of 'interest' and the pleats in the original are a bit puffy.  The sweater is a quick sew, and works well with jeans and looks fine with skirt, and I am sure will work with the grey wool trousers if I get to remake them soon (or at least this year), and wears with the poncho too!.  photo below is a bit dull - but only one taken so far.

the best laid plans - future projects and cashmere sweater.

at the beginning of the year, I went through all the fabrics,/stash, and acquired charity shop buys and I made a plan to try and get through them.  Stash is about 12 x  half, 1 and 2 metre lots with 1 x 3 metre piece.  I divided everything by colour and then drew up some' little ladies' and had a plan for each month pretty much until August, and beyond.

For the most part this has been helpful to keep me focused and I can still update each month if any better options come to mind.  For all the remakes I have been doing - 50% have been trouble free and straightforward, and the other 50% have had to have a re-think, where there was insufficient fabric for the pattern (happens the most), or the design didn't look right for the fabric.   Of these, most will go according to the new plan - however some do not. and these few are the ones I spend an obscene amount of time trying to make right before they work or I admit defeat...

May is not going to plan, at all, and I am having a week of it at the moment.  Two patterns I tried out on a whim are going a breeze, and one pair of trousers are going decidedly south (so they are being put away for the next while as they are breaking my heart) - and yet the piece I was supposed to be doing was still on the mannequin last Thursday waiting.....

its a pink cashmere sweater that came to a standstill - which is why this post is being posted a few days late............When I got this sweater, I saw cashmere and the quality felt okay, and the size a little big, it was stained and had a hole in the underarm seam, and I bought it for 4euro.  When I got home, it went straight to the basin.   I am not too squeamish but I was surprised by how grubby this jersey was.   I did Home Ecc/Domestic Science in school, and amongst other things (like cooking sheeps heart.....), in one class we were taught how to wash a wool sweater.  At the time, I thought the nuns were leading me to a life of indenture and servitude and was not very impressed, whereas now I realised the value of these lessons (although I will pass on the sheeps heart!).  After laundering the sweater (and the dash of vinegar in rinse) it came up a treat and the cashmere got back its buttery softness - ah bliss!

I cut it to make a cardigan, trimming very little from the neck, cutting up a centre front, taking about 4 inches from sleeves and hem.  I hand hemmed using an 'internal'  hand sewn zig zag stitch to keep it flat.  the thickness of the cashmere concealed the stitch (which was just as well as the thread is not an exact match.   

My original idea was to crochet and sew on an elaborate trim in orange like a matador jacket, for the neck, front and hem edges and the cuffs - a bit of a grandiose idea, and I even dyed some left over mixed-silk yarn (daft I know) from the poncho last year.  I crocheted a swatch in red and a swatch in orange as I was unsure of the orange, and in the end I didn't think either would work as  'the elaborate border' so went the more conservative route of a simple trim.  

Also as the yarn was originally 2 shades (and the yarn was made of 2 fingering weights, one linen pale, and one silk which was darker? I had to later separate them and used the darker silk yarn (and a 2.5 hook).  I stitched a blanket stitch on the inside in same colour embroider thread to hold the trim.   The cardigan is trimmed with some rows of single stitch, then one row fillet, and some single stitch.  I added a line of shells to the cuff.  A very simple re-do, but takes a bit longer with a 2.5 hook!

Meanwhile.....................

The other piece that fell by the wayside this month is my planned  galatzine coat.  I was going to use some dress linen but think the weight is too light.  I did a toile (the toile was cut from the lining pattern as it was intended on being the lining) from a sheet and put it in the orange dye (its pretty awful and came out a very lurid shade.).  The toile has a lovely fit, but as the entire coat is cut on the bias I will think about it some more, If I interline it, I could lose the quality of the linen, and I wanted a lighter weight summer coat.  I did put a post on we sew retro asking if anyone had made it (no one had) and there was the suggestion of just going for a heavier weight which I am now reluctantly agreeing with....I am thinking of trying a simpler coat with the linen.....

refashion sweater to summer sweater with crochet trim

I got this jumper in a charity shop last year.  I can never resist a fine knit wool, this has some silk and rayon in the mix so its light and warm.  Its also got the style neckline I find odd, its neither a polo, or round neck, but I figured I would 'road test' it over the winter and decide its fate.  As its so light, I thought it would make a great 'transition' wear sweater (or as I am so cold blooded most probably a summer sweater).  I didn't over-think it too much, and thought a simple border would work.  I had some double knits in stash, and would have preferred a 4 ply or fingering, but the double knit wasn't as heavy as I thought it would be (and I also need to shrink the basket of half balls of yarn).   I had this 'nico' cotton a few shades - dark red, hot pink, cream, and taupe.  Originally I was going to use the dark red and then do the red with taupe, and then figured the taupe on its own could look well.  It co-ordinates perfectly.

I trimmed the sweater, and cut the sleeves a bit shorter, and cut a neckline.  I was a bit nervous cutting the neckline as I didn't want to trim too much.  I tacked a hem on all edges and did a blanket stitch edging with matching linen thread (I would have preferred buttonhole thread but the linen thread matched perfectly).  The first line of single crochet was stitched to this.  I did some 'single crochet together' on the neckline rows to tightened the neckline a bit and finished the border with a row of picot.  I don't know if this is too fiddly, but without it seems a bit too plain, and it can be easily undone.  It was relatively quickly done, over two evenings by the tv catching up on recordings (so didn't feel too much of a slacker).   Really happy with sweater.  Always a good sign when I wear it straight away................

pullover to baselayer - raglan sleeve polo

I have this pullover/sweater/jumper in the to-do bag for a bit.  I had deliberated over a sweater dress, using the scarf to make an extension to the length, or Alabama Chainin inspired shrug/bolero (from scarf) and long skirt (from jumper)  As I haven't really worn the Alabama Chanin makes from earlier in the year it didn't seem like a practical solution, but what  I really need another base-layer with a funnel or polo neck to wear under dresses.  

The pullover was a funny shape and size, a bit dated and a bit big, and has a scarf attachment. The fabric is a 60% viscose 20% polyester-something and 20% wool so a nice mix of light and warm and perfect for a base-layer..  I get so cold and a base-layer with a polo,  will work under dresses, and over another baselayer (yup, I get that cold), as well as everything else!

The funnel neck pattern I used in September would have been so perfect - except this brown pullover already had raglan sleeves, and I am finding with these remake projects, its better to work with what you have (sounds so obvious but I often forget the properties of the  fabric I am working on - and try to make it fit with the vision in my head).  I had to draft a proper jersey block as I have been using very old and badly drafted bits of paper for the last while.  I then made a raglan block,  and decided it may be best to do a raglan round neck and put a roll collar afterward (I had toyed with the idea of continuing up the seam to make it a funnel neck... )

Below is an Alabama Chanin sweater I made in February.  Its incredibly warm, but also the fit is not great.  I intended to try the idea again but try a boat  or scoop neck raglan sleeve as the round neck is a bit restrictive, the upcycle sweater is a thin wool, with cotton jersey under.  This was the first Chanin inspired piece I tried, and at the time I was gung-ho on making a dress.... until I did some stitch detail on a stenciled skirt - 2nd Chanin piece -  and realised my patience and endurance may not stretch to a dress just yet.