Cowl neck Geodesic sweatshirt, by Blueprints for Sewing

I had a lot of Geodesics planned in my head, mostly involving various colours of merino.  For some reason I couldn't get inspired by the colours available. I concluded at some point that if I did the version with pockets it would be too long.  I also fell in love with this Frank & Eileen tee lab sweatshirt, which uses rib knit for the arms to make them tighter.  The Fabric Store provided, with matching terry jersey and binding.

This is still size C/D although I think I was having body image issues in Ukraine when I traced the pattern, and should have gone a size smaller.  Many of the patterns I prepped in Ukraine were sizes too big!

So I used the binding for the sleeves as well as bindings, and I lengthened the bottom binding double its initial length.  I wasn't sure it would create the same effect because the binding is still very loose.  Also, with the loose fit to start it was a challenge.  I cut off quite a bit at the side seam through the armpit but didn't want to overdo it because then you cut into the geometry of the armpit itself - was I overthinking?

I added the cowl from the Halifax Hoody pattern, with no changes.  I found it weird that it wasn't doubled over.  You just fold over the top after making two button holes and that is the track for the string, and it's not got a clean finish or anything.  I guess in the end if you had a double layer it might be too heavy.  But I don't really like that edge being so obvious.  I think if I used this technique again I would cut two so there's a clean finish throughout.

I will comment that I'm a bit grubby in the pictures because I didn't have the best week.  It involved staples to the forehead.  I jumped at the chance to have a photographer and a nice backdrop so just overlook the hair and the melancholy poses...

Although I'm really happy how this Geodesic hack came out, I wasn't super inspired by the loose fit.  My friend Nicole took my pictures in Taupo and she was inspired so I gave it to her.  Old habits...but now I'm on a tshirt making binge and I'll keep all those cause I need them desperately. 

Blueprints for Sewing Geodesic sweater & some upcycling action

And sometimes something is just absurd but fabulous.

I was trying to figure out if I had a "before" picture. I don't. This sweater is made up of three sweaters.  I bought them at the Mercer Island thrift shop, which by dint of being a thriftshop in an elite, rich neighborhood, means they weren't so very cheap - like $10 each.  The sleeves were the body of an XL man's merino sweater (eck, replete with holes that I still have to fix), the pink was a lighter weight J.Crew merino sweater with dubious shoulder zips, and the black was a silk-cashmere batwinged, possibly cowl necked ladies monstrosity.  The weights are slightly different but didn't cause problems when sewing.  I used the body hem of the man's sweater for the sleeve hems so I didn't even need to sew anything on, and I used the split hem from the pink sweater for the sweater hem (and managed to keep the split!) and for the neckband I used a cut edge of the bottom band from the black sweater (the neck band wasn't optimal.)

The pattern, of course, is Blueprint Patterns Geodesic sweater.  I made a size C/D but honestly could have gone down for a more fitted look.  Along with the instructions you get a page of history about Buckminster Fuller and the Geodesic dome!  It's so fabulous!  Not to mention some of their other patterns!  I haven't tried the others yet but I'm definitely going to make a Saltbox tee at some point.

I think it's a pretty boxy shape - the sleeves could be narrower as they reach the body and the back, weirdly, hangs down really wide away from the body compared to the front, but because I'm short waisted and short anyway, it all works.  The neck is also a bit undefined.  You cut out a mess of identical triangles to make this top, and for the back and front neck you just scoop out the top triangle a little.  Maybe it would be better if the back triangle were not scooped at all, and the front were scooped more?  Something to consider.  I recommend not scooping at all until you have sewn it together, and then trying it on for fit prior to scooping to your heart's content, and then applying the neck band.  For the body, the triangles are sewn across, and then the two rows sewn together, which makes it easier to get that all-important center point to match.  On the front (naturally on the front) I tried to help this along by easing around that center point so as a result the center is sort of worn and stretched out.  Arg.  At least it matches! 

Delving into fabric recycling has taught me a few things.  First is that you can really make extra seams anywhere as long as you then press and even topstitch them down.  (One sleeve here was pieced but it's mostly in the armpit.)

Second, and more important, is that you don't tend to get the real fit of the pattern by doing this.  Mixing up fabrics, textures and weights, cutting corners when things almost match up, using bindings from the original sweaters - all turns the result into something just a little extra unique.  I would love for these recycled efforts to work as true muslins for further projects, but I think that they aren't great representations of the original pattern, or at least they obfuscate potential size/fit changes that might need to be made.

And yesss that is foreshadowing for the next project. How'd you guess?