Floral Astoria
These weeks have been flying by! I told myself I was dedicating the month of March to a new project for my etsy shop but I still need a little break every once in a while to make something for my wardrobe! I love sweatshirts - the ease of wear, the comfort, everything about a sweatshirt is awesome, except they aren't exactly "professional wear". Luckily I don't have to wear anything very professional to work but still pride myself of looking nice. I didn't think anything of Astoria when I first saw it, probably because it's meant to be a crop sweater. But when I realized the solution of extending the length of the pattern (6" to be exact), I thought it would work well in my closet!
I made my first Astoria a few weeks ago, for my blog's birthday. I loved the length but the arms are so tight on this piece. It is still very wearable but I can't push the sleeves up, which I love doing.
My second version was made in this awesome gold polka dot knit. I took the extended pattern pieces and added a half inch to each side to give me a little more breathing room. Unfortunately I forgot to add that allowance to the sleeves so the body on version 2 is great, and the sleeves are looser because of the knit but still not perfect.
Then comes version 3. My favorite. The pattern is perfected, a half inch added to all pieces and it's a dream. I had been eyeing the fabric at JoAnn's for a few weeks. There was a yard in the remnant bin that I kept wanting to splurge on but didn't have a project. Last week when buying fabric, I knew this floral would make a beautiful Astoria. My only complaint is that it's becoming too warm to wear on a regular basis! But these will all be great transition pieces into Spring.
Details about this pattern- I made the XS, extending the body pieces by 6", leaving the bottom cuff the same. In the end I added a half inch to each pattern piece seam allowance so in reality I was probably better off cutting a Small. This pattern is such a quick project and very customizable. I would love to make a few more solid versions and maybe some with the cropped sleeves. {Also, this is technically a "sweater" but sweater always reminds me of a button up cardigan or something so I'm referring to this as a sweatshirt.}
And in other news, some VERY exciting news.....my sister is pregnant! I'm going to be an Aunt! So you might be seeing some baby clothes around here soon!!