Near the end of last month my Instagram feed started to fill up with a bunch of gorgeous Halifax hoodies. I have had my eye on this pattern for a while, and seeing all the other gorgeous makes was just the motivation I needed to make my own!


I had originally envisioned making a cowl neck version of the hoodie in a navy blue french terry with drawstrings, until I found this gorgeous dimensional gray knit at JoAnn. Since this fabric does have a pattern I had to be thoughtful of how I cut it out and assembled it. Luckily this wasn't a directional pattern and I didn't need any extra fabric. In this version I opted not to add the drawstrings for a more polished look.


It was a very quick make with a fresh ball point needle and my walking foot. I can't believe I waited this long to try my walking foot. It wasn't as intimidating as I thought it would be to attach and use and I will definitely be using it more regularly in the future.





I'm thrilled with how this make turned out, although I wish the cowl was slightly more relaxed. I left the sleeves long so I wouldn't have the chance of any exposed skin in the cold winter months, but will probably shorten them a bit in the future as well. I will certainly make this pattern again, likely in a variety of styles!

Time estimate: 4 hours
Size: small, view D
Material used: 50% cotton, 46% polyester, 3% spandex, 1% metallic
Care instructions: machine wash gentle cycle, cold, non-chlorine bleach, line dry, cool iron

Cost to make:

pattern - $10
fabric - $24, 2 yards
*thread from my stash
TOTAL: $34

The aptly named "favorite tee" is my first Patterns for Pirates make and it certainly won't be my last!
My wardrobe recently had both black and light brown RTW t-shirts similar to the long sleeved, curved hem top which were cheaply made and needed to be replaced, so I made this wearable muslin to test the pattern and was very happy with the results.


This pattern was extremely quick and easy to assemble. The most difficult part of completing this garment was finishing the curved hem. I used twin needles, at about 1/2" from the unfinished edge, with tear-away stabilizer to reduce tunneling. I am happy with the finished results, although it is a bit nerve wrecking to hem so close to the cut edge of my fabric from the top!


Next time I make a favorite tee I will probably shorten the neckband slightly; this one seems a bit too big and doesn't lay as flatly as I would like it to. I can't wait to make a few more versions of this top with that one slight adjustment!



Time estimate: 2 hours
Size: small
Material used: knit blend, pre-washed and dryed
Care instructions: machine wash gentle cold, tumble dry low, cool iron

Cost to make:
pattern - $9 + cost of paper, ink and tape to print and assemble 
fabric - gifted
*thread from my stash
TOTAL: estimated $10