Raglan sleeves are so easy to sew.  Those simple diagonal seams (well, simple as long as your fabric is stable or you have stabilised the bias cut) are so straightforward to join; no sewing in the round or easing sleeve caps!  They lend themselves to casual styles, in my view.  I avoided raglan sleeves for a while because I didn’t think that they did my narrow shoulders any favours.  They probably still don’t, but that hasn’t stopped me from being drawn to raglan sleeved patterns recently.  I pulled an old Knitwit pattern out of stash to have a bit of a play.

Yes, that IS an ’80s pattern. Copyrighted 1988, in fact. I did a Knitwit course back in 1990, and it was very useful in getting me comfortable with sewing knits.  You really don’t have to have an overlocker to sew knits – it was possibly another fifteen years before I bought an overlocker.  This course was a great introduction – it’s sad that the courses are no longer available.

I decided to give the raglan sleeved top a try, combining some fabrics that I had in stash. I cut size 14 (since that was already traced!) and whizzed it through the overlocker.

Yes, that is oversized, and yes, those are very low armholes! It’s pretty much a batwing look, and pretty much expected of a pattern from its era. The print fabric is a viscose jersey remnant bought from The Fabric Store a year or two ago, combined with a solid knit from Darn Cheap Fabrics for the sleeves.

The sleeves needed to be shortened about an inch. I added a simple neckband from the scraps of the jersey print, and twin-needled it to secure it.

This was very quick and easy to make, and I quite like the finished garment as a casual layering piece, but won’t use this pattern again in this form.   However, I’ll definitely be giving raglan sleeves another try.

I actually wore this top over a long-sleeved tee, with a scarf and jacket over the top, and was happy with the finished outfit – not that you can see much of the top in the photo below!  I am trying to remember to share how I actually wore my finished garments, as it gives a better idea of how things fit into my wardrobe and overall style.

Wow, that was some URTI!  I am still coughing and sneezing, but am definitely much improved thank goodness.  A few weeks ago I sewed up three pairs of StyleArc pants, and thought that you might like to see the similarities and differences.  Anne of Clothing Engineer has an excellent blog post about sewing StyleArc stretch woven pants here that is well worth reading.

These are all patterns that I have sewn up before.  All three are very simple pull-on styles with elasticised waistbands, designed for stretch wovens like stretch bengaline. They are all size 10, shortened both above and below the knee to accommodate my lack of height. I measure more like a size 14 or 16 around the waist, but the size 10 works better for my hips and because they are designed for stretch fabrics and have an elasticised waist they still fit me around the middle. I cut the waist elastic to the same size as the waistband (both smaller than my actual waist measurement) and that appears to work for me.

Firstly, the Elle pant. I made this in grass green ponte from Darn Cheap Fabrics.

Whoa, all those wrinkles along the back thigh! These are great from the front, but aren’t quite right at the back there. The ponte has the least stretch of all the fabrics I have made these in, which makes them firmer. However, I do need to be able to move in them.

Next up, the Barb pant, which has a wider leg than the Elle and I slightly higher rise. I made these in stretch bengaline from Style Arc.

It’s interesting to see the differences that varying the fabric type and leg width can make. Lastly, the Linda pant, which is a wider leg once again. These are made in a stretch woven from Darn Cheap Fabrics that is thicker and heftier than stretch bengaline, but stretches almost as much (which is quite a lot).

This is wonderful fabric to wear. It stretches in both directions and feels really comfortable, yet supportive around my middle. The paprika stretch bengaline is much lighter weight, and makes a bit of a noise as the legs pass one another. Both the Barb and Linda patterns are more for work, whereas the Elle are for casual. Well, that’s how they are for me anyway! Fabric choice really makes a difference to fit. I have made all three of these patterns in different fabrics now, and notice how some are far more flattering and comfortable and just fit better than others. And they are all the same size. I don’t suppose that others would notice, but for me it’s an interesting observation. And because I prefer photos of whole people rather than just bits of them, here are all three pairs of pants with the rest of me as well.  The top is the Maria Denmark Olivia Oversize Tee (blogged here).

Oh look, same pose!  I am so predictable.  Looking at these photos again I realise how much weight I have gained – I possibly should have gone up a size.  Ah well, the benefits of hindsight!  It just makes that bit of difference to how well things hang.  Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will be aware that my weight fluctuates quite a bit, which can be challenging in terms of what size to sew at any given time.  If my weight stabilises at its current level I will possibly grade these three patterns up a bit.  They’re such staples in my wardrobe!