I’ve been itching to wear this ribbed knit RTW vest that’s been hiding in my closet, but I didn’t have anything to pair it with that I liked. Back in July, I snatched some of this French Newsprint jersey from Made of Love’s $6 section. I wasn’t quite sure what I would use it for until I started mulling over what to pair that vest with. I’ve also been wanting to reach for short-sleeve tunics a lot lately, and I don’t really have any of those either. All my summer tunic tops are either sleeveless or spaghetti straps. I can get away with sleeveless at work, but unfortunately not spaghetti straps and some days an extra layer of sweater is just not the look I’m going for.
So there was a lot leading up to this make. The fact that this is jersey helped dictate what pattern I decided on. I considered Mix It Up (George and Ginger), Gloria (5 out of 4), Alpha (5 out of 4), Jade (Made for Mermaids), and Nyoka (Sinclair).
- Gloria and Jade called for a different type of fabric.
- Alpha wasn’t going to solve my strappy woes.
- Mix It Up had potential but I’d have to do a bunch of pattern editing to lengthen the torso and hope I got the right fit and I just wasn’t feeling like doing that.
- I love the Nyokas I’ve already made; the fit is so perfect, and my pattern was already prepped. Plus, jersey was one of the recommended fabrics.
About the Fabric
French Newsprint Jersey from Made of Love
- Fabric Type: Jersey
- Fiber Content: 60% Cotton, 40% Polyester
- Weight and Thickness: 100gsm 0.25mm
- Stretch: 175% horizontal, 25% vertical
- Softness: 5/5*
- Sheerness: 3/5*
I do love jersey fabric. This particular jersey is more sheer than I expected. It’s lightweight, drapes beautifully, is easy to work with, and is very comfortable.
What I Did Differently
- Short sleeves, obviously.
- I drew a separate front pattern piece based off the existing pattern piece I had modified for my other Nyokas. That piece was 7″ shorter than the original pattern and the side seams were flared outward to match the original bottom hem circumference. With this extra front pattern piece, I subtracted another 4″ from the center front and drew a contoured high-low hem.
- I actually did stabilize the shoulder seams on this one using fusible sheerweight interfacing. Jersey is a bit on the flimsy side so it was probably the right thing to do.
My smile. Back in February, I started an aligner treatment to straighten my teeth. I cannot overstate how much of a life-long dream straight teeth have been for me—a dream I thought couldn’t happen after an orthodontist quoted me $6,000 for regular braces and a 30% chance of removing two of my [perfectly good] top teeth. And a TMJD specialist saying straightening my teeth would be like building a house on a swamp because of my jaw.
Well, here I am, 13 out of 16 steps into this treatment, and for the first time in my life I can smile without reservations. And that is so worth mentioning. I’ve waited for this for so long. And it all started with a random ad I saw on Instagram.
Project Settings
Presser Foot |
Stitch# |
Width |
Length |
Needle |
Top Thread Tension |
Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
standard zig-zag (A) |
5 |
1.0 |
4 |
blue tip |
4 |
seams |
overedge (C) |
6 |
5.5 |
3 |
blue tip |
4 |
edge finish |
standard zig-zag (A) |
2 |
4 |
3.5 |
blue tip |
4 |
shoulder topstitch |
standard zig-zag (A) |
2 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
twin stretch |
4 |
neck binding topstitch / hems |
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