While I don’t often buy ready to wear clothing anymore, I still hop online from time to time and see what is going on in some of my old favorite stores. I was browsing the website of one of my favorite little boutiques on our downtown square recently and saw some of the cutest sweater knit loungewear sets. Of course, loungewear has totally been having a moment this year, but most of the matching sets that I’d seen were made of french terry or sweatshirt fleece. I’d never considered using a sweater knit for pants, and I was eager to try it out!
As soon as I saw this leopard print Hacci knit, I knew I’d found the perfect match. I’m a big leopard fan, and I thought Hacci would offer the right weave and drape for what I was looking for. I was a little nervous about using Hacci knit. I’ve used it only once in the past, and I found it to be a little bit scratchy and uncomfortable. The drape was nice, but I hardly ever reach for the sweater that I made because it isn’t a very soft piece. I was THRILLED when this fabric arrived in my mailbox – it is super soft, the drape is lovely, and they are not scratchy whatsoever.
I couldn’t decide if I wanted more of a jogger style pant or a loose, flared pant. The set I’d seen that sparked this whole idea were a flared style, so while I leaned that way to replicate the original, I decided to go with the jogger style. I couldn’t quite settle on a pattern for the other style, and I already had the Hudson Pants pattern on hand – cut and ready to go! I love the way they turned out!
When I decided on the Hudsons, I planned to do the high-rise modification that was recently posted on the True Bias blog, but I’ll be honest…. I totally forgot once I got going! The original fit is already great, but I do look forward to trying out the high rise version in the future. This pair is still fabulous and versatile though. I think with a pair of chucks and a baseball hat, they’d be perfect for a casual Saturday, but paird with French tucked sweater and a necklace, they could also be dressed up just a little bit. This weekend, they were perfect for drinking coffee, squeezing in a little workout, and chasing my little girl around the house.
While I didn’t decide to do a matching sweater and pant set for myself (yet!), I had enough fabric leftover from my pants to make a full matching set for my girl! I used my go-to patterns for her, and this is one of my favorite sets I’ve made her this year… Which is saying something, because I believe I’ve made her 5 or so matching sets this year! I’m living my matching loungewear dreams vicariously through her, I think!
If you are looking for a great sweater knit, I’d HIGHLY encourage you to check out the range of Hacci knits at Raspberry Creek Fabrics. This is an excellent fabric and they’ve got quite a few fun prints on this substrate. I’m going to be checking out the rest to see what else I might need to try out, now that I know it is true love!! I would love to have another pair or two of Hudson Pants in this fabric, but I also think that the new Patterns for Pirates Cozy Pants would be a great option for the other style that I had in mind.
While I still plan to make something fun and slinky for the New Year’s Eve celebrations that I won’t be attending this year, these pants are the current number one contender for what I’ll actually be wearing to ring in the new year next month!
Pants: handmade by me
Pattern: True Bias – Hudson Pants
Fabric: Raspberry Creek Fabrics – Black Grey and Brown Tonal Leopard Print Brushed Heathered Hacci Sweater Knit Fabric
Key Ingredients:
Brother XR9500PRW Sewing Machine
Brother 1034D Overlocker
Schmetz Jersey Ballpoint Needles
Dahle 36×48 Self-healing Cutting Mat
Heat & Bond Soft Stretch (Lite)
Thanks for reading my thoughts on this make! The fabric used for this post was generously provided to me by the team at Raspberry Creek Fabrics in exchange for me sharing my thoughts on the fabric on social media; the pattern used here was purchased by me. The words and opinions expressed throughout this post are my own, as always. Links provided throughout this post may be affiliate links – if you choose to purchase any products through these links, I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you. This simply helps me justify the costs of my sewing habit and the time it takes to share it with you!! Happy Sewing!
- XX Elizabeth
