I have worn my Vogue sweatshirt from last year so much that it needs some mending, so when I saw this in the McCall's new releases I had to have it.
As always, I couldn't manage to sew this up without some customization. Since this is a fairly forgiving shape and I used a very forgiving sweatshirt knit from the stash, I didn't have to change too much to get an acceptable fit. I cut out my standard size with the sleeves of B and length about 1 1/2" short of D. I hope this reads as a tunic rather than a mini-dress. I find the tunic length of my Vogue sweatshirt works well with both leggings and jeans.
I cut out the pockets of D with a little enlargement. I knew I didn't want the top-stitched pockets of View D, but I also didn't want the less sophisticated kangaroo pocket of B/C. Instead, I did a traditional side-seam pocket insertion. I cut two pockets out of the sweatshirt knit and two of some microfiber-like knit scraps of a dress I made in the summer of 2016. The microfiber reduces the bulk of the pocket but also acts as a built-in eyeglass and phone screen cleaner.
The only fit adjustment I made was to the sleeves. I slimmed the sleeves by about 5/8" starting at the wrist and grading to nothing around the bicep. I have skinny noodle arms and I don't like it when my sleeves are just flapping in the wind. I also added a thumbhole-cuff to my sleeves for extra warmth and coziness. Both Hey June Handmade and Oliver + S have great tutorials on how to add these cuffs.
Since I really didn't want this looking like a dress, I left vents in the side-seams below the pockets.
I had the hardest time with the grommets. Just to start with, my standard craft stores didn't have much in the way of washable, clothing quality grommets in a variety of sizes or colors. Most of the grommets I found were intended for home-dec or purses. They only came in small packages, with inconsistent sizing across brands. Also, they're freaking expensive! The "fashion" grommets did not go in consistently and wouldn't hold tight enough in the stretchy material. The tools available at the craft stores were also fairly useless. The craft-store punch barely dented my two layers of fleece and interfacing.
After several tests of these grommets in a sample of my material, I checked out the area hardware stores. I ended up using 100% aluminum rust-resistant grommets from a hardware store kit with the included insertion tools but using a separately obtained 7/16" hollow punch. It's not the gunmetal color I had hoped for, but with any luck the grommets will hold through many washings and wearings.
For these photos, and for the first few times I've worn this, I have 1/2" black velvet ribbon laced through the grommets. I think I'll be looking for something thicker in the future.
After several tests of these grommets in a sample of my material, I checked out the area hardware stores. I ended up using 100% aluminum rust-resistant grommets from a hardware store kit with the included insertion tools but using a separately obtained 7/16" hollow punch. It's not the gunmetal color I had hoped for, but with any luck the grommets will hold through many washings and wearings.
For these photos, and for the first few times I've worn this, I have 1/2" black velvet ribbon laced through the grommets. I think I'll be looking for something thicker in the future.
The pattern is well-drafted and a good interpretation of the athleisure trend. It goes down to a size 4 which is unusual in Big 4 patterns. The 10 is a generous size Small, so the 4 might be along the lines of an XXS. Perfect for those tweens and teens that have grown out of the girl's styles but not yet grown into the standard women's sizes. And those tweens/teens could pull off the cropped sweatshirt look! I will say that the laced panel at the front goes very deep. For anyone concerned with modesty or looking to make this as a wear-alone top rather than a layering piece, think about shortening the panels or handstitching a little ladder stitch on the bottom few inches of the placket to hold it together.
