Crafty Bloggers Club - Emma's Cosy Jersy Jumper with a Shawl Collar

This months' Crafty Bloggers' Club post is from Emma.  You can find more of her makes on Instagram @happysew16

As well as being on the Crafty tutor team I am also a customer, and huge fan of the My Handmade Wardrobe patterns.  And I am on the pattern testing team - which gives me an exciting insight into the design and development process of the patterns.

I’d seen a couple of versions of the add on pack for the Cosy Jersey Tunic and Dress that I really liked, so when Kim asked me if I’d like to make a version and blog about it I jumped at the chance.

I chose a beautiful soft cobalt melange brushed back sweatshirt jersey that I thought would reflect the cosy element of the design. I was gifted this in return for this blog post

I started by comparing my body measurements to the pattern envelope. Normally I am size small in MHW patterns. If I was making the dress version, which is a fit that skims the body, that’s what I’d choose. However when I checked the final garment measurements for the add on sweatshirt option I decided that for a sweatshirt style top I’d like a bit more ease so decided to make a medium.

The add on pattern gave instructions on which pattern pieces I’d need from the original pattern and I cut these along with the additional pieces from the add on pattern pack.

The sweatshirt has the option to use a contrast fabric on the collar and I found a remnant of lovely soft animal print micro-fleece in my stash.

I also used this as a highlight inside the pocket.

As well as the extra pattern pieces there are additional instructions. They flip between stages on the original and the add on – so I needed to pay careful attention to follow them in the correct order. But, as usual with the MHW patterns there is a high level of instruction and they were clear and easy to follow. I would suggest you either view them on a tablet where you can zoom in on the photos, or print them in colour as my black and white version proved to have too little contrast to be able to see the image detail.

I have to admit I used my own experience and did go offplan a little and did my own thing for the pockets – using a method I had used before to create a neat in-seam opening. But the MHW instructions work just as well.

The collar was a little tricky – but following the guidance it went in easily and sits beautifully – giving a really cosy fit around the neck.

I added a cute label in the seam below the pocket which picks out the ochre colour in the contrast fabric.

I used a combination of my standard machine and my overlocker to finish the seams inside which gives a ready to wear professional feel. An overlocker isn’t essential as most jersey won’t fray, or you could use a zig zag or overcast stitch on your sewing machine.

When I was doing the straight seams I used a slight zig-zag stitch to give the seams a little give and stop the seams from “cracking” as I wear it and take it on and off. You could also use the lightening stitch if your machine has that option.

The end result is definitely a very cosy jersey jumper and this is going to be a staple in my wardrobe.

Happy sewing everyone!

Emma x

“Crafty Bloggers' Club Contributors are given products and materials to test from Crafty Sew & So. We hope you enjoy their honest and impartial reviews of the products. All opinions are their own.”