The arrival of spring calls for spring sewing!
At Mood Fabrics in NYC I found two beautiful lightweight fabrics I knew I could turn into some classic garments to carry me into the (eagerly awaited) warm weather. The first was a smooth cotton woven with a crisp hand, perfect for a pair of spring or summer dress pants. (You can find similar fabric at Mood here, here, and here.)
My second fabric was a denim-colored, brushed cotton twill as plush and drapey as sweatshirt jersey. I decided to use it to make a zip-front hoodie; I may use the remainder for sweatpants someday. (This exact fabric isn’t available online, but some lovely classic heavyweight cotton jersey can be found here. Another possibility is this lovely cotton/poly fleece.)
For the pants, I used a vintage men’s pants pattern from the early 60’s from my stash, Simplicity 4971. I love the slim cut and the “Mad Men” vibe. The only adjustments I made were to shorten the rise a few inches and to use commercial waistbanding for the inside waistband.
For the hoodie, I used McCall’s 5252, an in-print unisex jacket and vest pattern. I added a few extra details, like a drawstring with grommets to the hood and twill tape reinforcement on the shoulder, pocket, and hood/jacket seams. This lofty fabric really makes my topstitching pop!
I love the way these two garments turned out and I know they’re going to get a lot of wear in the months ahead. They both can be worn casually but the pants can definitely be dressed up by pairing them with a dress shirt and/or blazer.
My two beautiful cotton fabrics make these basics something very special — fun to make and a pleasure to wear.
Bring on the heat — please!
