Sewing basics - A sweatshirt for Mr T

Finally my husband gets something made for him! This is one of my favourite fabrics to sew with, it's warm, high quality and has a brushed backing. Hand made sweatshirts are my go to most days so I wanted to make one for Mr T's birthday. This is the dark grey anthracite fleece from The Organic Textile Company and also the ribbing is in the same colour match (perfection!) This was going to be a timeless and minimal basic make to stand the test of time.

I had to make this in secret, a little tricky for fitting issues as well as hiding all evidence before he got home, not to mention pre-washing and drying of a huge piece of fabric! I chose this Felix Sweater pattern from my new book I bought from the launch of Sewing Basics for Every Body book by Wendy Ward, I love the unisex style. One of the nicest things about sewing books is the way you're guided through photos and instructions all in one place plus they look nice on your shelf. I also like that this book is non-gender specific, these patterns are very adaptable and a good starting point if you like to play around and add your own style.

I made a couple of modifications, just to suit the style I was wanting to achieve, I was matching a jumper of my husband's that I liked the fit of. I added 1.5 inches to the cuff and hem band to make them deeper, like them chunky! I also tapered the seams in on the body by an inch around the bottom and also took an inch off the hem band width too. My favourite thing about this pattern is Wendy's clear instruction on fitting a stretch neck band, brilliant! I find this tricky even with experience in this it still usually takes me 3 or 4 attempts to get it right.

Finally I didn't use the overlocker, this was made completely on a regular sewing machine using a small zig-zag stitch which is one of my favourite ways to sew with jersey. I think overlocking is great if you want speed and you are dead set on the fit and size and are familiar with your pattern. I wanted precision in this where I could press the seams carefully and have more control over the design, really happy with this and I think Mr T is too, though now he is still waiting for his mammoth flannel shirt!