Back 2 School with Winter Wear Designs

It’s back to school time, hosted by Winter Wear Designs. Our son started school 3 weeks ago already and he’s too big (he’s a high school senior) to fit into Suzanne’s patterns, so this post is about what I will wear while he is in school. When my chicklets were in grade school at a charter school, I had to take them and pick them up every day. The outfit I chose is reminiscent of what I would have worn during those years. Now I will wear it to make my husband’s and son’s lunch for work and school, and to meetings for the band parents.

I chose a couple of patterns that were already in my stash but hadn’t sewn yet. First is the Cross Hem Tee which is a free pattern with the code from Winter Wear Designs Fun Facebook page. How awesome is that! It’s a fancied up t-shirt with a fun curved front hem. I love the big scooped neck too (my favorite)! Second is the Aviators that I’ve had for quite a while. After buying it, I realized there wasn’t layers which deterred me from ever printing it. I finally bit the bullet and printed it out and it wasn’t as bad as I was dreading. Lucky for you, Suzanne has updated the pattern with layers (Yay!) so you don’t have to wait to make yours!

You may have noticed my top is really long. I usually shorten everything before cutting the fabric. I had even figured out how many inches to adjust. Then I got so excited about the fabric, that I completely spaced it! 🤣😜  So the cute design of my cross hem is very low. Next time I’ll be sure to take out those inches! The cross hem was sewn different than I thought it would be, which is good because I thought it was going to be a double layer of fabric in the front. I’m glad it’s not, but wish I knew why my curved hem wants to bunch up. Also, since this is my first time to sew this top, the shoulders are too narrow for me. That’s good news for you if you have to adjust for narrow shoulders, but I should have realized before now. Other tops that I made from Winter Wear Designs are tight in the shoulders for me. I need to take note for next time that my shoulders are wide. This a size 4, with 5/8” added to the sleeve length. My next Cross Hem Tee will fit perfect I think!

The Aviators are some cool looking pants with lots of options like welt pockets, cargo pockets, pocket flaps, and leg detail. I made a muslin of these, and made a few changes to get the perfect fit. There was too much room in the inner thigh area and the front rise was too curved. After cutting back the point of the rise and down the side of the thighs, the front looked way better. I also had to do a low butt adjustment. I thought I saved a picture of the muslin pair, but it’s gone. I used green sweatshirt fleece, making them without any pockets, but they are wearable. 😁 Yay! Even though the Aviator pants have many options, I chose to sew a basic pair of sweats. The waistband is cotton spandex without elastic inserted. They will get lots of wear this winter, I can already tell by the comfort!

Just recently, I became an **ambassador for the online fabric store, Simply by Ti. What an honor to be a part of this shop and group! I really like the fact that it’s kind of small so I’m not overwhelmed by choices or need hours to find something.  As I looked at all the yummy looking fabrics, I kept in mind this blog tour and the fact that I didn’t have fabrics chosen yet. My eye caught this  purple plaid  in double brushed poly for the top and I already knew I wanted black  French Terry for the Aviators.

Look how vibrant the purple is! I don’t think I’ve ever sewn with a knit plaid and this one behaved beautifully. The French Terry is really nice too. It’s not as soft as the baby French Terry, but that’s ok; as I wanted the stability of the regular. It did shrink some (a few inches) in the wash, so be sure to take that into account when ordering. The Glitter French Terry is awesome too. I used it here and can’t wait to use it again. My black French Terry just became the best fitting pair of sweatpants I’ve owned in 20 years!

(Sorry I had to get close up pics of my butt so you could see the fit)!

So what are you wearing for back to school?

Don’t miss out on any of the stops on the

Back 2 School Blog Tour 2018

 

Monday 8/27

Larissa of Connected by a Thread

Tuesday 8/28

Rachel of Violet and Jewels

Wednesday 8/29

Laura of Custom Made by Laura

Carrie of BeriBee Designs

Livia of  Liviality

Thursday 8/30

Alyssa of The Sewing Goatherd

Diane of Sewing With D

Jackie of

Friday 8/31

Jessica of Jot Designs

Laurie Roberts of Make it Sew withThe Bear and Pea Atelier

Patricia of Sew Far North