The February blues definitely called for an easy cosy winter warmer so I decided to make the Nina Lee London ' Southbank sweater'.
This pattern is a simple knit sweater that you can make into a cropped sweater, a standard sweater or a sweater dress. The pattern has a stand up collared neck (similar to a turtle neck but not fitted), drop shoulders, a loose fit, pockets, cuffs and a hem band.
I went for the sweater dress option. I would normally go for a size 12 in Nina Lee patterns but because I'm 22 weeks pregnant, I decided to go for the size 16 to accommodate my baby bump. In hindsight, I could have gone down to a size 14 as it's still incredibly roomy for now but then again, it will last me until the 3rd trimester so overall I think I made the right decision.
Jenny provided me with 3 metres of the cosiest fleece backed sweater knit I've ever touched! It's super strokable and super cosy to wear. I also got some matching ribbing and coordinating thread.
The fabric was easy to cut out, very stable to work with and didn't need its seams finishing but as I used my overlocker anyway, the seams were sewn and finished in one step.
This pattern was a really easy sew which I did all on my overlocker apart from the seam allowance understitching of the pockets which I had to do on my sewing machine. It probably took me about 2 hours, all in all, from cutting out the pattern, cutting out the fabric and sewing it all up so its the perfect sewing palette cleanser for those that want an immediate gratification project or for those wanting to get their sew-jo back.
The only amendments I made to the pattern was to lengthen it by 5.5 inches as I prefer a 'below the knee' length. I also lengthened the sleeves by an inch as I like having my wrists and the top of my hands covered for extra cosiness. The only thing that didn't work out well for me was the pocket placement. It was too low ...so I had to cut them out which was a shame although this mis hap actually works in my favour now as I plan to just overlock the side seams to make it smaller post pregnancy.
I would like to make this pattern again with fabric from my stash, perhaps adding a kangaroo pocket on it (like a hoodie) and also maybe having a play with sewn on patches or vinyl transfers for the bodice. Another quick maternity hack would be to cut the bodice under the bust, add seam allowance, attach the skirt piece and create a drawstring channel from the seam allowance, then add a drawstring to give the sweater dress more shaping.
A definite winter warmer!
Inspired to make your own version? Here's what you will need:
Fabric : Alpine Fleece, available in Purple / Olive / Rust (Silver is sold out at the time of publication) prints are available too. Any medium to heavy weight knit would work, such as sweatshirting or sweater knits.
Pattern : Nina Lee Southbank Sweater (PDF)
[Disclosure: Crystal was provided with the materials for her project free of charge and received a gift voucher in recognition of the time spent on her project.]