Spring is finally here, and I am so ready for the new beginnings it brings with it! Plants are sprouting, trees are blooming, and days are getting longer. While fall will always my favorite season, spring reinvigorates my creativity in so many ways. It breaks me out of hibernation mode and gives me a fresh start to try something new, whether in the garden, my sewing, or my many other hobbies!
That said, right now, all I really want to do is take a few days off from everything and relax on the couch with a good book and a new show to binge. The garden and my spring wardrobe can wait just a little bit longer… Our seasonal launches are a TON of work, and I have been putting in a lot of really late nights, so when the Style Tour became one more thing on my growing to-do list, I really felt a bit overwhelmed. I decided to take the opportunity to jump on the loungewear bandwagon and sew something new for me to enjoy on my days off!
The big question was what sort of loungewear I should sew? I could always make another pair of my favorite Carolyn Pajamas or maybe another pair of Hudson Pants… Then I remembered a post that I saved on Instagram from last year and knew exactly what I wanted to make—a cozy sweatshirt version of Friday Pattern Co.’s Wilder Blouse. Thank you, Daphney, for the amazing inspiration (find her blog post HERE).
My fabric choice also ended up being rather easy! As soon as these new French Terrys from See You at Six arrived, I knew I needed some (or all!) of them in my spring wardrobe. I settled on the gorgeous peony print (top) for this project that just seems to yell “SPRING”! Not only is it wonderfully soft, but it also is just the right thickness for a spring/summer sweatshirt. Not too thick, not too thin. Timing also worked in my favor as we just received cream-colored ribbing that matches just about perfectly for the cuffs and possible waistband!
In deciding what to pair with my knit Wilder, for once, procrastination actually benefitted my project. Closet Core Patterns released their Montreal Lounge Collection last week with rather perfect timing, and the Plateau Joggers ended up being the perfect compliment to my knit Wilder. I took a look at some of our other new spring fabrics and decided to have some fun with stripes and this colorful aqua French Terry. Great combination, right?!
Time to get sewing! I decided to tackle the Wilder Blouse first. I cut a straight Medium (my regular size based on their size chart), and the only big change I made was with the front bodice piece. Rather than cut two of these and have a seam up the front, I removed 5/8″ from the center front and cut it on the fold. Heads up, due to how the pattern pieces are laid out, I did end up needing 1/3 yd fabric more than the pattern called for. Plan for one blouse length + one sleeve length for wide fabrics. I found this out the hard way and had to cut an additional full yard to have enough for my front.
Then, to create the front v-slit, I used the same technique as True Bias’s Roscoe Blouse. I sewed a small rectangle, RTS, to the center front, stitching in a narrow “V,” then carefully cutting down the middle, and flipping the rectangle to the back, and topstitching it in place. I didn’t worry about folding the edges under to prevent any extra bulk. From there, I followed the pattern as written until it came to the hems.
After getting the top assembled, I tried it on and decided to narrow the sleeves and armholes by about 2 inches. To finish the sleeves, I measured the opening’s circumference and cut my ribbing cuffs the same width by 2x the desired cuff length. For me, this ended up being 7″ (L) x 10″ (W), creating a nice size cuff with just a bit of negative ease. I debated about adding a ribbed waistband, but after trying the top on again, I decided to leave the hem unfinished. I’m not usually a fan of unfinished edges, but I love how this hem rolls just a little bit and pairs well with the cream cuffs! Overall, this was a pretty quick sew, and the See You at Six French Terry sewed up beautifully. I love sewing with cotton knits, they don’t slip around on you, and they sew and press so nicely!
On to the Plateau Joggers! Based on the size chart, I cut out a size 12 and lengthened the pant legs by 2-1/2″. The pattern is designed to hit at the ankle, and I wanted them to be full length. I also elected to go for the elastic hem and skipped the back pockets. To help with stripe matching, I cut out one front, and one back and then used those as my pattern pieces for the other two, carefully matching up the stripes before I cut.
Sewing these joggers was pretty straightforward. The only tricky part came with the side pocket construction. This was a bit confusing and a bit fiddly, but it does create a beautiful side pocket without the extra seam and bulk on the side. It ends up being tucked inside the pocket. A bit of pattern magic! The elastic hems on the pants were also magic—I love the technique this pattern uses and will definitely be using that again in the future on other patterns. No more casings!
The Pencil Stripe French Terry did prove to be a bit more difficult to work with. The looser knit made getting the machine settings just right a bit more difficult, and you definitely want to take extra care if you need to put your seam ripper to use. I did my best to match up my stripes on the inseam and sides, but I didn’t stress if they weren’t perfect. After all, these are lounge pants to wear around home! To tie the two pieces together, I used a scrap of the stripe French Terry to create the tie for the Wilder’s neckline. It ended up being a really cute detail!
All in all, I love how both of these pieces turned out! I’ll definitely be putting them to good use around the house, and the Peony Wilder will be a great addition to my spring wardrobe in general. I’m looking forward to pairing my spring sweatshirt with some light wash jeans and sneakers for a great look to wear to work around the shop or out running errands!
Thanks for joining me to kick off our Spring Style Tour! Today marks the first of thirteen days of sewing inspiration, and we can’t wait to see what the other amazing seamstresses have been working on! To make following along even easier this year, we’ve set up a special Style Tour landing page on our website to add links to each post and the featured fabrics each day. Check it out HERE and add it to your bookmarks! We’ll also be posting photos from each stop on Instagram and Facebook if you’d like to follow along there as well!
That’s all from me for now! Happy Spring Sewing!
~Michelle
P.S. Reagan says hi! These might be some of the last photos where I can actually hold him in my arms—he’s growing so fast!
What a super fun lounge set, Michelle! And a great your kick off! I’m excited to see what everyone created with the fresh new fabrics.
OMGosh, this is so cute in the print!!!
So So Cute Michelle!! Reagan is a scene stealer. I bet he is a handful. Thanks so much for being such an enabler.
What a cute outfit! I love Daphney’s inspiration as well!
Super cute and looks so comfy!
Such a fun outfit!
Ooh, la, la. This is fabulous. I’m going to have to copy this. 😀 I think I’ll use the teal fan design for the top. I’m wearing sweatshirts so much these days – I love these twists you’ve incorporated to make it something different – a print instead of the usual solids and a gathered neckline instead of a crew neck.
I like your lounge set…..
the colors are perfect on you. I’ve made 1 set of winter lounge wear, in a knit floral using OOP patterns….then I took a deep dive into CLOSETCORE Carolyn PJ’s for Spring. Now I can sit outside and play MahJong till noon on my tablet!
Always look forward to your Spring and Fall tours. Your hard work shows!
This is a fabulous outfit that suits you so well!
I really love the sweatshirt design. So unique and cosy.