Made By A Fabricista: An Outfit for First Snow

We had a marvellous autumn in western Canada with warm dry days and just a couple of hints of frost. When I was perusing Fabric Mart Fabric's site in October, I was tempted to focus on pretty florals for blouses or dresses but part of me knew that ... (da dah dum ... ) winter is coming. Fortunately, Fabric Mart was stocked with a huge selection of fabrics that are perfect for winter or holiday sewing.

Over the past several months I've been planning my sewing projects so I have pieces that work together. To stick with that theme, I decided to pick a print fabric for a top, and a solid for pants, using navy as the neutral.

Pants

For the pants, I selected Navy Poly/Nylon/Spandex Stretch Corduroy. This fine 14-wale corduroy is warm enough to wear outdoors but will be especially comfortable indoors. It also has a bit of drape which makes it nice for trousers. And who doesn't want some stretch?

I selected Vogue 9181 (Custom-Fit Bootcut Pants) because it is designed for stretch woven fabrics, it has bootcut legs and a front mock zip. For the past several months I've been working on the Top Down Center Out fitting method for pants and this pattern, with its shaped waistband, works especially well when attempting this fitting method. I first made a half-toile using muslin, then marked up the pattern and cut out the corduroy. The fabric was really easy to cut and sew. It does shed a bit but not nearly as much as cotton corduroy. I used a stretch needle and sewed the seams on my sewing machine, then serged the seam allowances.

I made two mistakes when sewing the pants and both were simply the result of a lack of experience working with corduroy. First, I neglected to sew a test buttonhole on scrap fabric. That resulted in a good hour of unpicking after I made the same mistake twice! The second error is more embarrassing but I know I'm not the first nor will I be the last to do this. When I cut out the cord I didn't even think about the nap of the fabric. So my finished pants have the nap going up on the front and down on the back. It makes a difference! I'm hoping that no one will notice and if they do, they're looking too closely.

These pants are super comfortable. I like the drape with the boot-cut shape.

Top

The second part of my outfit is a loose-fitting turtleneck that is perfect for winter weather.

Fabric Mart had a number of fun holiday print fabrics and I just couldn't resist this brushed sweater knit with Christmas trees and cabins in non-traditional colours. (Pro Tip - buy it when you see it, even if it's off-season!) I think this print will be wearable throughout the winter, not just over the holiday period. This sweater knit is a poly/lycra blend and the stitches are very fine so it feels like a jersey. It has a lovely drape and feels cosy but not too warm.

I went back to a favourite pattern, the Jalie Emelie. This free, downloadable pattern has sizes for everyone from toddlers to adults 2XL. It's oversized with dropped shoulders and a turtleneck collar. I've used this pattern several times and love it because it's such a fast make and is a great shape for wearing over tights or pants. The only change I make when sewing this top is to slightly alter the shape of the collar so it's more loose fitting around the neck. Instead of cutting a tube, I cut a D shape neck piece and that allows the top of the turtleneck to open up a bit. One note about sizing, the sleeves are slim fitting and I recommend measuring the sleeve pieces before cutting.

I know I'll get lots of wear out of both of these pieces. As you can see, winter has already arrived in western Canada so the timing was perfect!

This is my last Fabric Mart Fabricista post and I sincerely thank everyone at Fabric Mart for their generosity and for being such a great team to work with. And for always having something that I must have.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

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Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: CORDUROY , SWEATER KNITS, & KNITS.