I’m always looking for good quality knit stripes, and luckily Cali Fabrics has a great selection. This top is made with a ponte stripe which is sadly now out of stock – proof that when you see a great fabric, you should buy it! (What can I say, I’m on Team Stash, not Team Minimalism.)

I am also on Team Make It Up As You Go Along, because this project was initially supposed to be the same view as the Helen’s Closet Elliott Sweater above! Somehow it didn’t turn out that way once I started sewing!

First things first: It came out too big, so I had to take in the raglan seams and messed up my initally-better stripe matching.

Then the funnel neck collar just overwhelmed my face… too stiff in ponte, too many stripes! Off it came, and I did a simple black neckband instead.

I’ve also been really into slightly cropped sweaters this fall, so the hem got shorter, and I added a little v-split in the hem.

Have you noticed something is up with the sleeves, too? I ran short on fabric so they were going to be elbow length… but it looked wrong, so I lengthened them with a tube of fabric! You can see where the stripes don’t quite flow at my elbow. I’m hoping everyone in my daily life will just think it’s a fold where my arm bends!

And finally… all that black and white called out for a pop of colour! This floral motif comes from a Japanese textile that I’d meant to applique on something else years ago.. I happened to find it as I was sewing and knew it would be perfect on this shirt! I used a short zigzag to attach it, and it has last fine through several washes.

So there we have it: Fabric that founds it’s way to become what it wanted, even though I had different ideas at first! I love the problem-solving that happen during sewing, and I would’t have it any other way!

How often do your projects demand to be something different halfway through?