I tried something new! Sweater knits!
I’ve never really sewn with sweater knits before, so I wasn’t sure this project would turn out, but it’s lovely and very, very comfortable.
Also, spring is a long way away, and there is still lots of time for sweaters.
The fabric is a waffle sweater knit from Our Social Fabric . Our Social Fabric is a Vancouver-based non-profit fabric store selling donated deadstock fabric and fibre arts supplies. Buying deadstock keeps fabric out of landfills, and the price is right.
This fabric very drapey, and very soft, (and it makes a lot of fluff when you are sewing!). I had to finish all the seams really well to keep it from ravelling. But it’s worth it.
I used some matching charcoal bamboo ribbing for the neck and cuffs. It’s also really soft.
The pattern is Hey June Handmade’s Lane Raglan. I knew I wanted a raglan, but I wasn’t sure which one to get. This one has a built-in full bust adjustment, and there is nothing fun about testing out an FBA on a raglan, so I was sold!
In retrospect, I probably didn’t need the FBA in this particular fabric – it’s very drapey. Other folks who have sewn with this have mostly gone with cardigans, and loose tops.
I made the version with full-length arms, no hood, and a curved hem.
I made one change – I lengthened the cuffs to be extra-long, and made them a little cone-shaped. The default short cuffs are single cylinders. And because this is a drapey fabric, I tool a quite a bit off the arms and also narrowed them a bit to fit the cuffs.
This fabric is a little slouchy, and adding the structured cuffs gave it a bit more shape.
If I had to change something, I’d probably raise the neckline a little. I did shorten the neckband because the bamboo jersey did not have great recovery when the weight of the sweater knit was taken into account.
I considered a different pattern with a high neck, but I already had a similar grey sweater with a large turtleneck, and it is distinctive enough that I didn’t need two. A funnel neckline would also have been nice.
I usually finish the hem in knits with a band or a double needle. But here I used one of my machine’s jersey stitchs (the one I never really use, lol) and it’s almost invisible, which is perfect. It looks a little bumpy here, but that’s just the lighting – it’s quite flat in real life.
This make has caused some jealousy because other people in my house want one too. We’ll see if there is any fabric left to buy!
Summary
Pattern Review: Lane Raglan by Hey June Homemade, available in sizes XS to 2XL (roughly size 6-20 in Big 4 sizing).
Fabric: Waffle sweater knit (49% Viscose 49% Polyester 2% Spandex) with 100% cross-wise stretch from OSF.
Size: XL.
Cost: Pattern: $10. Fabric: $18.75.
Sewing Level: Confident beginner.
Modifications: Extra-long cuffs, and narrowed arms to fit.
Results: Great!
The Finished Garment 