I don’t know about you but I really enjoy sewing for special occasions. Give me a dress pattern, a complicated pants pattern – I’m there! Unfortunately, sewing only fancy outfits leaves me all dressed up with no place to go. I decided it was time to sew some practical outfits, starting with some loungewear.
For my top, I made the Sew House Seven Toaster Sweater much loved around these parts (check out Heather’s version, Becca’s version, and Ashley’s version of view #2). I wanted something cosy but still vaguely chic so I chose a jewel-toned ponte: the Lagoon Midweight Ponte De Roma. This fabric is a wonderfully stable knit, easy to work with and very comfy!
I have two tips for working with this fabric for the Toaster: I would suggest marking the wrong side of this fabric before you start construction, the two sides look very similar depending on the light but you do not want to mix them up since it will be noticeable in the final garment. I would also suggest you change your serger thread to something that matches. Because of the weave on this fabric, you can see little stitches from the serging. Unfortunately, I’d already serged it up with white thread before I noticed. Call it a design decision 😉
To go with my comfy Toaster, I made a pair of True Bias Hudson Pants. These things were all the rage when I first started sewing but I never got around to making them. I used the same Midweight Ponte De Roma as I did for the top, this time in the black colorway. This ponte is not as stretchy as the pattern calls for, so be sure to go up a size. If you are blessed with what my mother calls “child-bearing hips” like I am, go up two!
These pants go together satisfyingly well. There are really only a few “tricky bits” and those come first: attaching the pocket facing and detail, and then attaching the pocket itself to the main pant leg. I’ve attempted these steps before in a knit and it did not go well, so I was a little nervous. However, this ponte is so stable that it was a cinch!
I love the way this outfit turned out. So much so that when I finished the pants, I threw them on and had a impromptu dance party! How do you celebrate a good sewing project?
Alexandra blogs about sewing and reading over at her blog The Library of Alexandra. You can also follow her day-to-day sewing adventures on Instagram where she’s @alexandrap529.