Red Sparkle Raglan with Elbow Patches

When I was officially discovering the wonders of sewing knits a couple months ago, I bought a few different fabrics from Girl Charlee. This fabric was a last minute add on. I saw it and just thought it had a great little sparkle and would be a nice fabric to experiment with.

Now that I'm working in my studio three days a week, I can't exactly wear my pretty dresses to cut fabric on the floor. My wardrobe has been sweaters and leggings lately but I still want to feel "presentable" even when sewing. To add a little 'sparkle' to my new working closet, I decided to use this fabric to make a raglan top!

I followed my trusty flat pattern book to alter my sleeve pattern for this top. If you have any desire to make your own patterns, this is a fantastic book to have in your library.

 

At first I wanted to add a kangaroo pocket to the front but it would be a little heavy with this fabric so I added some fun to the sleeves. Elbow patches should be on every single long sleeve top. They are adorable, easy to make and add just the right amount of interesting to any project.

It's a little difficult to see the raglan sleeve but it's there! The elbow patches were actually pretty easy. I made a paper oval a little bigger than the size I wanted the patch to be. I cut four ovals out of red knit and sewed each pair together (leaving a small space open). After turning them right side out and pressing, I adjusted where to put them on the sleeve and sewed them on!

I love making my own patterns and with simple projects like this, I feel like I'm making progress in ultimately not needing a book to make garments. Don't get me wrong, using commercial patterns are a huge time saver but this really lets me turn a little design in my head into a real, wearable piece.