Pattern: Belted Sweater by Digital Pattern Library
Sewing time taken (excluding cutting out): 3.5 hours
Fabric: Liberty sweatshirting from Birmingham Rag Market (The Little World of Fabric, also known as ‘The Liberty Man’)
I hope everyone who celebrates it had a good Christmas. I’ve had a couple of quiet days in the house following spending Christmas and Boxing Day with family, and a couple of busy weeks in the run up. I spent the days immediately before Christmas focused on sewing a couple of gifts (using Noodlehead’s Forage Bag pattern) and hastily sewing a new dress in a day (Trend Patterns’ 70s Dress). I finished the dress just in time to wear it on Christmas Day (with a spot of hand sewing on Christmas morning and my brother sewing me into the cuffs), but I rushed the last sections so they aren’t finished to a standard I’m happy with. I’m going to revisit the sections of the dress that I rushed, perhaps before New Year’s Eve so that I can wear the dress to a second party asap.
These pictures were taken a few days before Christmas, in the local park on the way home from some last-minute present shopping. This is my second version of the Belted Sweater by Digital Pattern Library, sewn in a Liberty sweatshirting bought during this year’s SewBrum meet-up from the ‘Liberty Man’ in the Rag Market (also known as The Little World of Fabric on Ebay).
After making my first Belted Sweater in a lightweight knit, I was keen to try it in a heavier-weight fabric. I spotted this Liberty fabric at a bargain price (I think I paid £20 in total) during SewBrum and thought I’d try pairing it with the pattern. The resulting sweater is very cosy and I’m really enjoying wearing it. I think a slightly lighter weight sweatshirting would be more practical though (and is what I’d opt for next time) as this Liberty fabric is very thick and with the ties wrapped around the waist I’ve found that my slim fit RTW coat won’t do up over it! Luckily I’ve now finished the Yates coat I started a year ago which is roomy enough to fit this jumper under.
I love how different this pattern can look dependent how the ties are done up, and you can create some lovely pleats and tucks in the fabric. I’m a big fan of a good sweatshirt pattern (evidence: the number of Lindens I have sewn) and I love that this pattern offers something a bit different. I requires a bit more fabric and a bit more time than a more ‘standard’ sweatshirt, but is an equally straightforward project to sew.
My brother has been trying to get me into Stardew Valley for a few years (I’m a big fan of the Harvest Moon games) and has bought me the Switch version for Christmas, so I’m going to curl up on the sofa and start farming this evening. Have a great new year everyone and I’ll catch you in 2020!
