This is another basic project. I learned some neat things though - this was a hoodless version of the Papercut Undercover Hood. It's an XS with no modifications. I forgot to pinch 1" out of the center front as I had done on the hood versions, and that makes it more baggy and a bit more batwing. Luckily it's a lounging sweatshirt for a friend and she is curvier than I am so I think it will still work just fine.
My main experiment was with bindings. I didn't realise until I made this sweatshirt how much stretchier and softer ribbing is compared to using self bindings. Because I have made this sweatshirt a lot and always done self cuffs, I never had an equal comparison. The ribbing is honestly so much softer and stretchier, and will make me reconsider using self binding on future projects. However, I wasn't prepared for that and so I think I could have cut the neck binding a lot shorter. I cut it about 3" shorter than the neck hole. I used the pattern piece for the bottom binding and just cut it a bit shorter as well, and I used the pattern piece from the Style Arc Sharon sweatshirt because I was planning to use these cuffs on that sweatshirt and had already cut them out, so this is a shorter arm cuff than the pattern usually has.
I noticed while doing the Style Arc Sharon (blog post soon but it deserves nicer photos so I'm waiting for a camera operator...) how much topstitching added to the appearance of a sweatshirt, so I did lots of topstitching here to make it look nicer. Added benefit - it holds the seam allowance down on the inside. I'm still sewing everything with my cheap Singer, which means I straight stitch and then zig zag the seam allowance.
I wouldn't consider this the perfect raglan sweatshirt quite yet but I will likely tweak a few more versions when tempting knits fall into my hands. (Ginger has made a nice one.)
My main experiment was with bindings. I didn't realise until I made this sweatshirt how much stretchier and softer ribbing is compared to using self bindings. Because I have made this sweatshirt a lot and always done self cuffs, I never had an equal comparison. The ribbing is honestly so much softer and stretchier, and will make me reconsider using self binding on future projects. However, I wasn't prepared for that and so I think I could have cut the neck binding a lot shorter. I cut it about 3" shorter than the neck hole. I used the pattern piece for the bottom binding and just cut it a bit shorter as well, and I used the pattern piece from the Style Arc Sharon sweatshirt because I was planning to use these cuffs on that sweatshirt and had already cut them out, so this is a shorter arm cuff than the pattern usually has.
I noticed while doing the Style Arc Sharon (blog post soon but it deserves nicer photos so I'm waiting for a camera operator...) how much topstitching added to the appearance of a sweatshirt, so I did lots of topstitching here to make it look nicer. Added benefit - it holds the seam allowance down on the inside. I'm still sewing everything with my cheap Singer, which means I straight stitch and then zig zag the seam allowance.
I wouldn't consider this the perfect raglan sweatshirt quite yet but I will likely tweak a few more versions when tempting knits fall into my hands. (Ginger has made a nice one.)
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