Astoria Cropped Sweater Completed!

Hello everyone!

This is a bit of an inspiration post.  You see, I get Sew News magazine issues in the mail, and have been receiving them for the last year.  I like them mostly, and got them at a wonderful discount, but I have to admit that I only browse through the issue here and there.

However, I couldn't help STARING at the cover when my newest issue came in the mail for September.  I just thought the cropped top on the model was so adorable.  Day after day, I would glance at the cover and think "what a darling top...haven't I seen it before?"

I finally decided to dig deeper and find out the pattern referenced on the model.  Well lo and behold, I was pleased to discover that the top is the Astoria by Seamwork patterns!

I cannot tell you how happy I was to find out that I already had access to this very pattern with my Seamwork magazine subscription!

My next question was whether or not to translate this pattern literally, or interpret it my own way.  If you guessed I would interpret it my own way, you were right:

I don't have many sweater knits in my fabric stash, so I went with this aztec cotton knit instead.  I only had a small amount of it, maybe a yard if I had to guess.  Whatever the amount, it quickly became a game of squeezing all of my pattern pieces in without going crazy.  Somehow, it all worked out--mostly because this fabric had an equally good amount of stretch lengthwise and crosswise.

Sometimes you just cross your fingers, and go:

For this top I made two adjustments

1. Added 1" in length (I really should do this each time because I have a long torso, but I often omit this if I the top is long already.
2. Adjusted the shoulder seam by doing a forward shoulder adjustment (This one made such a difference. The shirt sits a lot better, and feels really comfy too).

I will admit that I experienced a few "hang-ups" though.  The first was the neckline.  Maybe it was because I did a forward shoulder adjustment, which decreases the front piece some. I could not get the neckband to sit nicely for me.  I inserted it, and it was drafted a smidge long.  I adjusted it, reinserted it, and still had the problem.  So I applied it like a bias binding in order to get it to stay.  It could also be my fabric choice, but it was a snag for me.

The second issue was the cropped band.  Even though I added length to the piece, it was still far more cropped than was comfortable to me.  So, I ended up reworking the construction, and adding the piece as a extension to the shirt, rather than folding it lengthwise on itself.  That worked well, and now I am looking forward to creating another piece to wear with it--maybe a maxi skirt???  I will think about it, but am open to styling options for this top because it is so cute.

Overall, this is a nice pattern, and I know I will find a purpose for in my wardrobe.  However, it won't be a repeat sew for me.  

Stay sew-filled!