OU/TX Kyoto Sweater

It’s time for some serious football here in Dallas!! When OU and UT meet up for football every October, it’s a pretty big deal in my group of people. I’ve spent the last 6 years or so tailgating the game with some mix of our friends, and our set-up seems to get a tad bit more elaborate every year! We typically wake up at the crack of dawn to tailgate in the fair parking lot the first half of the game, and head into the fairgrounds to indulge in a little fair food and watch the second half at one of the beer gardens inside. It’s a great day of fun and friendly competition between our closest friends, who are split pretty evenly amongst the OU and Texas fan bases.

I’m Sooner born and Sooner bred, and was lucky enough to meet my husband while we were both studying at OU. Despite living in Texas, we bleed crimson and cream, and I needed to make sure I had something to wear to this year’s gameday that would fit over this giant 36-week bump, and clearly let everyone know which side I’m on! I’d purchased a few different fabrics with OU/TX in mind, but it seemed like everything ended up a bit more Texas A&M maroon than OU crimson!! While I will absolutely still sew up some great cool weather pieces in these fabrics, I couldn’t have people confused about my alliances on this particular day, so the hunt continued. Finally, I settled on this Hacci Knit from Stylish Fabric – maybe a bit more bright red than crimson, but I don’t think I’ll leave anyone doubting whether I’m for OU or UT!

With my fabric sorted, the next question was what pattern I’d be sewing up. Comfortable and functional are necessary for the day’s events, but stylish is also important thanks to all of the photo ops with friends! I’m feeling a little bit less than stylish right now with the giant belly, so putting together something I would feel great in was the challenge. I’d had my eye on the Kyoto sweater all through last year, but I wasn’t sure I had the skill (or guts) to dig into sweater knits just yet. This year, I decided to go for it – I think it’s going to be the perfect option for gameday, as long as it isn’t 100’F. Or pouring rain. You just never know with Texas Octobers.

The first thing that drew my eye to the Kyoto sweater was those feminine ruffles. The shape of the sweater is cute enough on its own, but the addition of the ruffles really just takes it up a notch. I am so happy with how my ruffles turned out – another perfect use of Heat & Bond to finish those ruffley edges! (Don’t worry, I provided the affiliate link below in the Key Ingredients, as always!!) This sweater came together so easily, and I feel like I look very polished put together. I overlocked all of my major seams, and simply topstitched the neckband in place. The only thing I don’t love about my finished product is that the black serger thread became slightly visible at the neckline after I topstitched. This is probably due to the fact that my fabric is a pretty lightweight sweater knit – I could have matched my serger thread, but lately I tend to stick to neutral colors just to keep things simple on myself. However, if you decide to pick up some of this fabric for yourself, you may want to keep this in mind!

I’m feeling excited and gameday ready now! OU is ranked well above Texas (#7 versus #19) going into the game, but that’s part of the thrill – the rivalry is so strong that some years, the rankings don’t seem to matter one bit! I’ll be out here cheering hard for a Sooner win – and hoping to make it through a long and exciting day of tailgating while SUPER pregnant! Wish us good weather, and if you’re out at the Texas State Fair today, come say hello!!

Sweater: handmade by me
Pattern: Papercut Patterns – Kyoto Sweater / Tee
Fabric: Red Scarlet Hacci Classic Sweater Knit from Stylish Fabric (red scarlet has been discontinued, but this classic red looks pretty much identical!)
Key Ingredients: Heat & Bond Soft Stretch (Lite) 

Though the fabric used in this post was generously provided to me by Stylish Fabric, all opinions expressed are my own, as always!

• XX Elizabeth