Going Undercover

 

One of my favourite things is a sewing project that’s fast & straightforward – a rarity for me for some reason (maybe probably because I’m very prone to making dumb mistakes lol), but this one was a treat in every way – this is why I love sewing! It’s nice to be reminded of that in the midst of long detailed projects, fitting headaches and other assorted woes lol. Sewing CAN be fun – imagine that! lol

I was super blessed to receive this pattern (the Undercover Hood) from the lovely & talented Kat and this being my first experience with Papercut patterns I can say I’m very pleased & will definitely be trying more!

I had been particularly interested in this pattern for some time, because West Coast weather demands the need for layers, year round, as it can change and fluctuate on a dime, and hoodies are among my favourite clothing items – usually zipped, but I have no pullover ones so I thought this would be a nice change. I knew I wanted a fabric that was warm but thin, to make it versatile, so I sought out a fine merino jersey. (Someone needs to start stocking this in Canada, for reals – it’s amazing stuff and NO ONE has it here!!!) it’s costly to have shipped here but 100% worth it – you can’t buy RTW merino clothing here, either, so I view it as a luxury item.

That said, it’s been about two weeks since I finished making this and I’ve been wearing it CONSTANTLY – usually in a very relaxed and bummy fashion which is why it’s taken me so long to get photos LOL. I figured maybe the bad camera phone pic might distract you from the fact that I’m covered in Lola’s white fuzzy fur ^__^

I traced my pattern on a Friday night, cut it out Sat morning, and had it finished by Sunday. Easy peasy, and so pleasant. Because it’s a knit and a relaxed fit I didn’t bother with an FBA but I did add 3″ to the sleeve length (monkey arms lol). Kudos to the pattern designers for including finished garment measurements – I love that; it’s so helpful. And bonus points for making me a size smaller than I usually am; totally psychological but still – a smile is a smile ;)

I just used my serger for all seams and my regular machine for top stitching only. After attaching the pocket, I decided to run an additional line of edgestitching along the attached seams because even after pressing, the turned under seam didn’t want to lie flat, and I knew it would bug me. I’m MUCH happier having taken that extra step.

I liked it so much I did the same on the hood. Of course, true to form, I couldn’t get through the whole project without a hitch – the last thing to go on was the hood, and it was perfect up til that point. So i sewed that sucker on, then right when I thought I was done, tried it on & realized my hood was not a hood; it kind of resembled a floppy clamshell lol – I had sewn the two halves together backwards!! *facepalm* Well I’m sorry but two rows of top stitching & a serged seam were not coming apart easily so I just cut that baby apart & made a slightly smaller (CORRECT!) hood – no problem for my pea head lol.

it wouldn’t be right to not include this shot for laughs – look at that face! LOL

The only other puzzling thing is that my fabric appears to have stretch in one direction but not the other so my hem band doesn’t stretch. Maybe I misread the selvedge? Not sure what happened there but it’s no biggie really :)

Love this awesome hoodie & I look forward to making more… I will be on the lookout for more merino when I am
IN AUSTRALIA NEXT MONTH!!!

That’s right, Aussie peeps – watch out!!! This Canadian gal is comin’ to Melbourne!!! Me and the man are going back to his hometown for 2 weeks – mainly to visit friends & family but you better believe I’ve already told him I’m going to Tessuti!! lol! So – if anyone wants to meet up for lunch & a bit of shopping, I’ll be there between March 26th & April 7th!! :)

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