Happy Labor Day! We just got back from a weekend in Austin celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary, and I’ll be celebrating today by spending the day relaxing, in my accidentally almost patriotic Jarrah Sweatshirt! I picked this fabric out from So Sew English Fabrics back in March, knowing that I wanted it to be a Jarrah Sweatshirt. It took me a little while to actually sew it up – when I received it, I was still getting into the swing of things after returning to work after maternity leave, and starting to figure out how to balance sewing along with work and the little one. Once I was ready to go with this fabric, it was very much NOT sweatshirt season and it got put on the back burner.
You’re probably thinking it is still very much not sweatshirt season in Texas! I totally agree – let me explain. I recently went through and batch cut out a bunch of upcoming projects, and this Jarrah was one of them! I had a certain order I planned to sew everything up in (pretty much the most summery garments first, more autumn appropriate pieces last), but I ran out of the thread I needed for 3 of the first 4 projects I had in mind, so I started in a totally different order. I decided I’d do all the light colored things first, instead, so that I could save myself from changing out my serger thread more times than necessary. So I have four summery garments cut out and still sitting on my floor as we roll into September, and I’ve sewn up two rather nice sweatshirts and a long(ish)-sleeved dress in the last week. Maybe not the most logical, but they’ll all get worn at some point!!
Despite being a French Terry, this fabric is actually surprisingly comfy for this time of year. It is a thinner French Terry than I’ve encountered before, and I feel like this combined with the color palette makes it totally end-of-summer acceptable. It will transition well into the cooler weather, but I can actually wear it with shorts now and not feel ridiculously out of season (though definitely still a bit warm!). It is SO soft, and it is definitely a piece that makes me feel acceptable in public while still being super comfy.
This was my second Jarrah sweatshirt, and I was so excited to see how it would turn out with the stripes. I love the effect! I was also able to perfect my twin-needle topstitching detail on the tie ends this time around – last time, I perfected one tie, but the second one was a little meh. This time around, I got ‘em both! I had a lot of fun choosing where the stripes would fall, and what colors I wanted to include on my sleeve cuffs and neckband, as well.
I will say that the Jarrah sweatshirt may be just a tad shorter than I’d like. I recognized this with my first version (which will be on the blog in November!), but because this fabric had more drape and stretch, I wasn’t sure if it might fall a little differently. I decided to sew it up without making any changes, and it is cute and wearable, but did confirm my thoughts. Next time around, I am going to go ahead and add about an inch to the sleeves, and maybe a half inch to the bodice length. This length here falls perfectly with my higher waisted jeans / shorts, but I don’t love where it falls with some of my slightly lower waisted things.
So there you have it! I hope you all enjoy a fabulous Labor Day today. (PS – how cute are the Labor Day decorations throughout this neighborhood? Completely unintentional, but the perfect backdrop for these photos!!).
Top: handmade by me
Fabric: So Sew English Fabrics – Mint Coral Stripe French Terry
Pattern: Megan Nielsen Patterns – Jarrah Sweatshirt (View C)
Key Ingredients:
Brother XR9500PRW Sewing Machine
Brother 1034D Overlocker
Schmetz Jersey Ballpoint Needles
Twin Needle Set
Dahle 36×48 Self-healing Cutting Mat
Heat & Bond Soft Stretch (Lite)
Though the fabric used in this post was generously provided to me by the awesome team at So Sew English Fabrics, all words and opinions expressed 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
It looks lovely and would be perfect across the seasons.