I see fleece used for blankets and doggie snuffle mats, but rarely for clothes. Why aren’t more people sewing with fleece? It’s easy and fun to work with (no fraying seams) and light and warm to wear.
Pattern: LB Pullover by Paper Theory
Fabric: Blizzard Fleece (Light Grey, Sunset Wilderness); Geo Print in Anti-Pill Fleece; all from Joann Fabric
Size: 10
Modifications: None!
Moving to Bend, OR – there isn’t a locally owned fabric shop with fabrics for sewists who make their own clothes (at least not that I have found). All the fabric shops are for quilters. Our local fabric store is Joann Fabrics – and they have the largest selection of fleece I’ve ever seen! I also hadn’t been to a Joann’s since high school or college, living in Michigan. And, the Joann’s here does have a variety of apparel fabrics too (just not the linens, ikats, and other fabrics I’d been spoiled with living in Portland). But, I wondered what everyone was sewing with fleece that they have such a large selection. This made me remember the LB Pullover pattern, as I’d wanted to try it but didn’t have a specific use or fabric in mind… until now.
The LB Pullover is such an easy and versatile pattern! In total, I’ve sewn up 4 now and all in Option A (turtle neck). I started with the sunset fleece – knowing I wanted a fun pattern, sorta retro fleece to wear in the winter. The pattern is 5 pieces, I didn’t have to finish any seams – so a simple fold over and sew to finish a hem was all. I think I sewed this up in a couple hours from start to finish – which is fast for me. I typically sew something over a week or weekend from printing and cutting the paper pattern to all the fussing and modifications and various mistakes I’ll make and have to correct.
I made the yellow geometric print for my friend Emma – who requested one after seeing my goofy sunset fleece. Normally, I don’t make things for my friends or at request because fitting a pattern to someone other than myself is a challenge and time consuming. But, not this pattern! With the cute, oversize fit of this pattern – I made the exact same size for her as I had for myself. And it looks great on her 🙂
Before the end of winter, I made a grey fleece one and branched out to an oatmeal colored flannel one. The fleece is so warm, that I don’t typically need to wear a coat and with the dropped-shoulders, it would be difficult to – the fleece has a lot of bulk or structure that makes layer atop it difficult. Layering atop is not an issue with the flannel version.
If I find a knit jersey, preferable organic cotton, I might try Option B (regular crew neck). I don’t sew with knits or jersey often, as I don’t have a serger to properly finish the seams. This pattern is so easy to sew and fun to wear, I’ll probably make another 4 more!
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