Guest blogger – Gillian

Hello, I am Gillian from @sewmumsew and I am delighted to be the Felicity Fabrics November Guest Blogger!

When I sat down to plan this project it was September, the kids had just gone back to school and I realised what a huge portion of my time I spent standing at school gates, on rugby fields or in the car ferrying the kids about. Historically special projects for me have meant dresses or coats, this time however, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to make something perfect for my everyday wardrobe. The brief?  – Something warm, comfortable unique and versatile. 

I choose the Closet Core Mile End Hoody. When Caroline and Fliss showed me this Waffle Jersey in the two colourways I could not decide, so I choose both. I decided to do a colour block version of the crossover hoody. Blue and Green are two of my favourite colours and these did not disappoint!

Waffle Jersey is a stretch fabric woven in small squares which allow for a breathable and warm knit fabric. It has historically been used for robes but is becoming more popular in fashion with the advent of Lounge wear chic!  This is a 95% cotton and 5% Lycra mix which provided more than enough stretch for this project. (Minimum 15% required for this sweater) It is a beautifully soft fabric with a great drape and so would be beautiful to use for tops and dresses alike. The colours are reminiscent of the colours of the sea, muted and soft and I was drawn to them immediately.

Mile end sweater is part of the Montreal Lounge collection by closet core patterns. It comes in three variations, and I decided to make up version 3 – the deep v neck hoodie with a kangaroo pocket. The pattern comes sizes 0 (Bust 31’) up to size 20 (Bust 46’) I cut the size 20 as I like to have plenty of space in my sweaters, however next time I think I would size down to a size 16. I lengthened the body and the pocket by 3 inches – this is a personal preference, I am not a fan of short boxy sweaters on my body. The construction is fairly straightforward and of course the instructions were excellent. The design allows for a really useful kangaroo pocket on the front and the back pieces wrap around the body allowing for a great effect when colour blocking.

Full disclosure, I am not a massive fan of the hood. It really is oversized, and I think in future I’d choose one of the options without the hood.

I did really enjoy the 2 piece back section as it adds a little special spice to the sweater.  As an extra personal touch I added a cute label from Kylie and the Machine to the front. 

I think we will see lots more waffle knit in the future and I cannot wait to try it out on other patterns. Big thanks to Fliss and Caroline for their continuing provision of top-quality stunning fabrics. 

G xx