Saturday 7 May 2016

Sew U Home Stretch - raglan sweater



Yes, I'm back with more pink. and with another make I'm really proud of.  This was a lot simpler than the wool skirt though!  This is the Raglan Sweater from the Sew U Home Stretch book. I  bought some beautiful knit fabric from Faberwood with birthday money earlier in the year which was earmarked for this pattern but I wanted to do a trial run first.  On my way to search the local fabric shops for sweatshirt fabric I stopped in one of my local charity shops and found a pink men's medium Reiss sweater with grey ribbed cuffs, waist and neck band. Too big to wear as it was and the grey ribbing looked very tired and worn but the pink fabric was really good quality. At £5.99 it was quite pricey, but then I was in the British Heart Foundation shop AKA the most expensive charity shop in Walthamstow. And really, it's easy to lose perspective when buying second hand - £6 for a jumper isn't much at all is it, especially given the alternative of buying new and adding to consumer waste/landfill, not to mention the working conditions of the garment makers. So I happily handed over £6 and the jumper went straight in the wash when I got home. The grey ribbing didn't look any better after the wash but luckily I had this lovely golden yellow/orange ribbing that I bought from Kitschycoo Fabrics a few months ago (along with some black and some red).



Although this was a relatively quick make I took a bit more time than I usually do with knits and pressede seams as I went along rather than just at the end. I think this made a difference with the bulkier material so I'll be doing this next time I make this sweater. I also used the overlock stitch ony Bernina to finish all the seams. I keep meaning to try the lightning stitch as I've read good things about it, has anyone else used this? I'll need to remember next time. 





Summary -
Pattern: Raglan sweater from Sew U Home Stretch Built by Wendy book, a Christmas present from my husband
Size: small 
Alterations: None
Fabric and notions: Pink sweatshirt from charity shop £6, ribbing from Kitschycoo £5 for 1/3 of a metre (I still have plenty left for toddler projects), thread from stash
Any changes I'd make next time: nope, none at all.
Total cost: £11

Has anyone else used this book? I can't wait to try some of the variations. A few of them look really dated but most of them are pretty classic. There's a plain T-shirt,  a Breton style top, and a hoody that all look great!

This has been worn a few times already and I'm sure you'll be seeing more of it during Me Made May if you follow me on Instagram! I hope everyone that's going MMMay this year is having as much fun as I am! 



12 comments:

  1. I love the colour combo, with the new ribbing x

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    1. Thanks Jacq, I'm really pleased with the combination too!

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  2. Great colour combo! I never seem to find the time to browse charity shops. Or maybe I just don't have the patience!? This looks like a great pattern, and sounds like a worthwhile book to own. I always use the lightening bolt stitch for sewing knits. It takes longer and is a bugger to unpick but it stretches with the fabric pretty well.

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    1. It's a hard one, charity shop browsing now. I used to go pop into the charity shops at least once a week but now Harris is a bit older it's hard as he just wants to take all the toys home!
      Right, I'll need to try the lightening bolt stitch next time!
      I'm enjoying this book already, though some of the instructions might be a bit baffling to a complete beginner. I think it's out of print now but there are a lot of second-hand copies around.

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  3. BTW I have about a metre of purpley/royal blue ribbing from Kitschycoo. No idea why I bought so much, but if you ever need any, give me a shout!

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    1. Ah thank you Helen! Maybe we could do a wee swap sometime if I see anything nice from TMOS?!

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  4. Love the colours! I think I saw that book at the library the other day, might need to get it out!

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    1. I'd recommend it going on this pattern alone. Assuming it's still got the patterns in it! that's really good your library has sewing books!

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  5. I absolutely love this jumper - the colours are so happy. You look fab in it!

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    1. Thanks Emma! It is a really good colour combination isn't it?!

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  6. Great recycle, looks like a really great fun top. Also reminds me of fruit salad sweets.

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    1. haha that's right! I used to love those sweets, haven't thought about them in years!

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