What good is a rushed pre-vacation sewing binge if not for getting me out from in front of that brick wall? So here I am between some of the columns in Barcelona’s Park Guell.
Coming from DC, home of the squat concrete slab monument/federal building, I like that Barcelona let Gaudi go a bit nuts on the city. Why not gingerbread houses sometimes, I guess.
But back to the sewing. Here’s a version of Style Arc’s Esme top, made up in a wool-mohair blend that’s backed by a four-way stretch knit I bought at Emma One Sock.
The backing is a bit stiff for a knit, so the sweater holds the design lines really well, which I like.
It’s super warm, so I wore it three out of our six days in Barcelona, even though I took two other sweaters with me. Too bad for everyone else, the fabric and the navy and pink color ways are sold out. 😦
The funnel neck is actually quite large, and stands away from the neck quite a bit, which means air flows straight down to the chest — a little unpleasant on cold bike-riding days or crisp cold Euro-walking-around-days. I finally figured out I could wear a thin silk scarf inside the funnel, and you can see that peaking out in one or two shots.
In terms of Esme!, I made a handful of modifications to the pattern:
:: I took one inch out of the bodice length, above the bust point to keep it from stretching into sweater dress territory on my 5’3” frame.
:: I took a second inch out of the length at the front and back hems. While I like the overall length I ended up with, I should have removed that second inch above the side split, rather than in it. Looks just a little weirdly short here.
:: When I first sewed the funnel neck on, I used the recommended 1/4” seam allowance. My (fat) head couldn’t really get through the neck hole. So I went back over the seam, taking out an additional 3/8”. That widened the circumference, and I can now put the sweater on. I was a bit worried the collar wouldn’t be able to stand up on end from a wider base, but it’s been fine.
:: Wish I had: bumped out the side seams a bit at the chest level, or done a full bust adjustment for a knit. It’s not too bad, but I wish some of that pulling weren’t there.
In terms of construction:
:: I followed the (easy to follow, this time) directions in terms of construction order.
:: I assembled the thing mostly on my serger. The instructions suggest top stitching your seam allowances, but I didn’t do this. I didn’t think it would look right on fabric with such nap. The fabric didn’t fray when I cut it the way faux fur is meant to, but the little mohairs are so long that it kind of resembles a fur. So! I decided to heed the internet’s advice to never topstitch faux fur.
:: I pressed up the one inch hem allowance at the sleeves and hem and then catch stitched the hem to the thick knit backing. The catch stitch has a little give to accommodate the stretch of the fabric, and the knit backing means the catches don’t show through to the right side of the garment.
Your tunic looks incredibly comfortable and warm to wear. As you say, perfect for Barcelona weather.
Debbie
http://www.sewnfromtheheart.com
Thanks so much, Debbie!
I like this pattern and I’ve been thinking of making it in a similar way, so thanks for further inspiration. It looks great!
Thanks!! It was their suggestion of ‘scuba’ that made me think heavier sweater knit might work. Let me know if you make it, I’d love to see.
Will do! I want to make it in a non-knit and just use a back zipper. Do you think that would work?
Yeah, I do. You’ll have to do a bit of tweaking in construction with the collar attachment (it’s actually sewn into a circle before attaching) but I don’t think it’ll be a problem if you make a center back split. No reason you can’t treat it in much the same way as a dress with a back zip that traverses a separate bodice and skirt piece.
Thanks for the tips! I have some fabric I think it would look amazing in. Watch this space 😉
Did you find the sizing of the pattern to be accurate? I just assembled a PDF for the size I fit on the StyleArc sizing chart and it looks absolutely enormous! It’s about 4″ wider on each side at the underarm than a ponte dress I just made (that easily slips over my head), i.e. 16″ bigger. I’m afraid to cut this out in this size but I’ve never made a StyleArc pattern before and don’t know if they run large (but it looks like it!). Your sweater turned out really well and I hope mine does too.
Hm. So I ordered the print version of the top direct from Style Arc. It’s a bit of an oversized style — there isn’t negative ease at play here. But 16″ seems like an awful lot. Is there a reference square to make sure you printed at the right scale?