Crafting A Rainbow

This post first appeared on the Cali Fabrics blog, in return for the fabric I used!

Last post I blogged about a Jalie raglan and McCalls sleeveless cardi that I’d sewn with TNT (Tried’N’True) patterns. Well, I’m back today with another TNT Jalie pattern, in a gorgeous floral rayon french terry from Cali Fabrics!

This time it’s the Jalie hoodie, minus the hoodie and with a rectangular cowl instead! This is a very classic boxy hoodie pattern, which I’ve made before in beefier knits. In cotton french terry, the pattern was almost too snug; in stretchy sweatshirting is was just right; and in a drapey, light rayon french terry like this, it’s almost too big!

I have some fit issues around the armscye in this version that didn’t show up in the other versions, and the shoulders came out really wide…

…which is how this “design detail” happened! The shoulder seams were stretching off the shoulders, so after I finished sewing, I went back and added elastic tightly across the back neckline. It pulled in some of the extra width, and I’m hoping that the back gathering looks intentional!

This fabric is so pretty though, that I’ll wear it even if the fit isn’t quite perfect! Right from the start I knew this fabric was crying out to be a cowl-neck sweater – and in fact, I saw someone else on Instagram had tagged Cali showing that they’d made almost exactly the same top with this exact fabric! Great minds think alike, right?

This project fits right in with my new love for muted tones instead of my normal bright colours. I’m grateful that blogging for Cali Fabrics lets me try out new colours and fabrics that are hard to find locally!