It's the Christmas sewing season and if you are like me you have a lot of people on your gift list and not enough time to make them all something. If you are looking for an adorable quick sew that is also perfect for cold weather I highly recommend the new Kid's Metro Pullover by Sew Straight and Gather.
I was a tester for the new pattern (I received my copy for free in exchange for testing), it's well drafted and very easy to sew since it's a pullover with raglan style sleeves (no fussing with a zipper or set in sleeves). I think I spent more time taping, tracing and cutting than I did sewing.
I signed up as a tester for the 9/10 size, but I ended up sewing four versions during the testing period. I loved it so much I wanted all of the kids to have one. To give you an idea of how quick this pattern is and how little time it takes, I'm a mother of 4 who works casually at Williams-Sonoma (17 hours the week that I tested this) and I could sew four of these in that time frame.
She recommends using sweatshirt knit, french terry or sweatshirt fleece with at least 25% stretch across the body. I used fleece for two of mine and they turned out super cute, but I really do prefer the French Terry versions I made for my older boys. I'm planning a few more with the new adorable sweater fleece that Joann's is carrying this year.
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Size 2 with a hood and girls cut lines.
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The Scooby Doo version is made completely out fleece that only had 25% stretch. My daughter has a very small chest, 19", but is tall 38". I will make the size 3 next time I sew one for her. She was just under the size 3 height, so it really was my fault that it is a bit small on her. I fussy cut the front and back to get Scooby upright and towards the middle of the body panel. It ended up being cut on the bias, so I actually have more stretch than the fleece offered across the grain.
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Size 11/12 with a hood, kangaroo pocket
and baseball style hemline.
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For the green version, my 11 year old son has a 29" chest and is 4'10" tall. So after looking at the finished measurements chart I decided he would fit best in the size 11/12. The forest green is fantastic organic stretch French terry from Cali Fabrics. It has amazing recovery and is super comfy. The pocket and hood lining are Art Gallery Buck Forest Mist knit. I got mine from NR Fabrics, but they are on backorder for the moment. She has a great facebook group with a discount code for ordering on her Etsy store. I had wanted to pair it with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Fabric, but I couldn't find it in my fabric stash and I'm really happy that I couldn't.
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Size 11/12 with a hood, kangaroo pocket
and baseball style hemline.
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For the blue version, my 10 year old son has a 30" chest and is 4'8" tall. I opted to cut the 11/12 width, but shortened it to the 9/10 length. The navy blue is also organic stretch French terry from Cali Fabrics. The pocket and hood lining are Art Gallery Buck Forest Mist knit. Once again, I got mine from NR Fabrics.
I did sew 4 in a week, but the first one was sewn from the original pattern, before the pattern was edited, so it isn't a true indicator of how the pattern fits. It is going to my 6 year old and he is thrilled to have it.
There are tons of options for construction as well. Hood or cowl? Lined, bound, or turned under hem on your hood? Pocket or not? Lined or hemmed pocket? Baseball hem or banded bottom? The pattern comes with a girls and boys version and either can be sewn with a hood or cowl.
The girls style offers a inverted pleat in the back and a flared side seam. To sew the boys you just trim the pleat off your pattern piece and follow the straight side seam.
The pattern has a size chart and a finished measurement chart that really helps you to decide which size to sew, because you know how much ease you will have with your finished garment. The PDF features layers (print only the sizes you need), trimless pages (super fast to tape or glue together), embedded links (take you to where you want to go in the pattern or to more information on the web), a pages to print guide (only print what you need for your size and options), and a cutting layout diagram. There is guidance on how to take measurements, how to blend sizes, and how to lengthen or shorten the pattern. If you are new to knits there is a full page of tips that make sewing with knits simple. Plus there is a great Glossary of sewing terms at the end.
All of the pieces have a 3/8" seam allowance included. There are pattern pieces for the hood, cowl, sleeves, cuffs, pocket, and front and back body. She provides measurements for the bottom band if you choose that options. The sleeves, hood and cowl feature notches to simplify matching them to the body pieces. All of the pieces are trued (end with right angles so you don't have any funny edges) and really fit together like a glove.
I really enjoyed testing for Sew Straight and Gather. The pattern and instructions were complete before we started, so we really only had to worry about testing the fit. She listened to our feedback and tweaked the pattern to get the best final product. I'm happy to recommend this as a super easy sew that turns out looking fantastic. My boys couldn't wait to take them to school and show them off. My daughter wants to wear hers all day every day. I have put on my boys versions a couple of times and may steal them occasionally. There is also a Women's version that is being released at the same time. I'll be buying it when it comes out. After I started sewing these I noticed how in style it was. Lots of ladies were wearing similar styles while out shopping for Christmas presents.
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