Completing Holiday sewing - all for Moi!

Today was a great day for sewing! I finished version 2 of my hot yoga outfit, I lined the back of the pink hot yoga outfit and I sewed another version of the Kwik Sew Sweatshirt. I made an extra small in the long version. I find the short version too short for my comfort. This is comfy sweatshirt and I wanted it longer than the brown version. So I guess third time really is the charm!

 

I found this soft pink fabric at Fabricville. I was there to buy thread to hem my pants for Scouts and I needed to buy something else so that I could use my interac to pay. This jumped out at me. It is nice and soft. The perfect color and texture for a sweatshirt.

 

The band is made from ribbing that I also bought at Fabricville. I like this rib as it is sturdy and thick. It will stand up to many wears! I tried finding this at Tonitex and Club Tissus... NO luck. Only at Fabricville, hence why I purchased a membership there. I am not a fan (AT ALL) of Favricville. Their material is a lesser quality and their customer service is pitiful! You ask a simple basic question and they stare at you like you just asked them a quantum physics question. Then they point to the other side of the room and say it may be over there. Basically they are useless!

 

 I added some topstitching, it was not mentioned in the instructions, but I like extra details, and I like the cuffs to stay in place.

 

With this type of style you really need a marker for the back, On my Pink one, sized small I did not sew one in and I am always putting it on backwards!

Kwik Sew 2017 - Sweatpants

I got Kwik Sew's 2017 pattern from a friend. I am on a mission to use up what I have on hand. However, I do not have enough  material for sweatpants. I may be short, but not short enough for the material I have!
Simon and I took a trip to Tonitex. We bought jogging fleece, a nice thick black material. I bought 1 1/2 meters, the perfect amount with a bit left over.
Since the sweatshirt was floating on me in a small, I decided to measure out the XS pants. Perfect fit for what I want. Now the elastic they call for is 22 inches for the XS. This is the measurement I use for my 7 year old! Obviously this pattern was meant to be worn loose, but not in today's fashion!

I used the XS and as you can see they fit nicely. They are not too baggy and they are not too tight.

 I learned how to use my coverpro machione (sort of, still working it out) But I USED the machine. YEAHHHHH! It gives a good result (when you know what you are doing)







 I hope to understand this machine much better in the near future. Simon was watching videos on YouTube. He will show me the ins and outs real soon, I am sure.

The length was nice and I did not want to install rib cuffs for the bottom. I used the coverpro to finish the hem.










 I put in my standard label to indicate the back. I tried them on and found they run way too high waisted for my standards. I am short, so I should have verified this before tracing the pattern. There is a line to shorten the rise, I removed 1 fold from the top waist, and it fits very well.

 This pattern is a standard. Pants and Shirt. I can use cuffs, no cuffs. Long version of the top, short, with hood, no hood. Kangaroo pouch in front or not. There are a few options to change this pattern around. I am very happy for a free oldie but goodie!

Kwik Sew 2017 - part 2

I found the Small to be very large and I wanted to make another one but in X-Small instead. I also took the shorter waist line. I had an brown version of the pink material leftover in my stash from the same Fabricville buy.
I traced the pattern, cut out the material and sewed it up in about 2 hours. i was going slow, picking up kids from school, etc.

I am much happier with the fit of the X-Small. I am proud of my topstitching and cuff/band insertion as well. Practice makes perfect. I wore this one to work today!

If you take your time the insertion of cuffs and bands is a simple process. I used color coded pins for the cuff and the shirt so that I would not get mixed up. I divided the cuff into 4, using green pins. I divided the shirt into 4 using red pins. I pinned the cuff to the shirt using a White larger pin. This way I could visually ensure I was pinning properly. I am a visual person and I found this reduced confusion while sewing. 

If you lay the shirt flat and pull the rib to meet the 1/4 pins you will have proper tension throughout. The shirt has the least amount of stretch and the rib is stretchy. So you want the rib to match up to the shirt. 

Kwik Sew 2017 Sweatshirt

I wanted a nice comfy sweatshirt for kicking around the house. I saw Jalie’s pattern 3355

Jalie 3355

and thought that would be a perfect choice. However, did I really want to buy yet another pattern? Not really. And I wanted to get rid of the things in my stash.

I was given a bunch of old patterns from my fellow Beaver Leader’s wife. In that stash there was an old Kwik Sew pattern, 2017.
This would work. I chose style A, hoping it would not be too large.

I had this soft comfy pink material that would be perfect for a sweatshirt. I had bought it about 3 years ago at Fabricville for dirt cheap. This purchase was intended for a quick easy project to help build my skills. It was not for anything monumental, as it is not the best quality.

I cut out a small as my measurements lay right at the end of the small. I find that this pattern runs large, and I will try an X-Small next time. The pattern was uncut so it will be a quick job retracing the pattern.

It is a quick and simple process to put together. Carefully mark the front and back as it can be confusing which pieces are which. Even the arms are wide and you can get them confused with the front piece.

I added an extra step of topstitching my cuffs/bands. I like the finished look of it.

I was super tired and I wanted to get this finished for my trip the next day to Ottawa. I attached one cuff band incorrectly. I picked out my stitches and I reattached it. The second time I still managed to attach it incorrectly. This weekend I will shorten the arms and reattach the cuffs properly. I find the arms a tad too long anyways.

All in all this is a perfect pattern. Simple, comfy and it has the option of a hood and a kangaroo pouch. The pattern even has sweatpants! The pattern runs large. I should have measured my favorite sweatshirt to see how it measured up to the pattern pieces for small, but whatever! I will just have to make another one!