My New TNT – The Grainline Linden Sweatshirt

I have a problem. I never have the foresight to sew for the season ahead; instead, I sew for the season I’m currently in or wish I was experiencing.

This winter, I knew I needed to up my warm handmade wardrobe since most of what I’ve made works better for summer. So far I made a warm cardigan, a long-sleeved work shirt, 2 faux fur vests, a sweatshirt, and…. hmm… well, I thought there was more! I guess that’s not bad considering winter in the desert lasts about 3-4 months.

I had a good experience sewing the Grainline Linden Sweatshirt and wear it every week. It’s comfy without being sloppy. I knew the weather would warm up soon, so I hastily made 2 more! This has quickly become a new Tried-N-True pattern for me. 🙂

When I finished this one, the weather was perfect to show it off… but of course I don’t wear my makes until I’ve photographed them for the blog in case I stain or mess it up somehow (it’s happened before and I’ve learned my lesson). Of course now that it’s photographed, the temperature shot up to the high 80’s, hitting 90 F and I want to cry.

I made a size 8 on top, grading to a 10 at the hips… the same as my first Linden. The only thing I changed for this and the next Linden is that I sewed the arm/side seams at 5/8″ instead of the 1/2″ the pattern calls for to get a slimmer fit. I did end up grading to 1/2″ below the waist, though, since I didn’t want it any tighter at my hips.

This is probably my favorite Linden because I love mustard yellow (even though it does nothing for my complexion) and that Dutch print kills me with cuteness. Both fabrics are from GirlCharlee.com and they have the Dutch print in another colorway here. I bought these fabrics a while ago, so unfortunately the exact ones aren’t available on the website anymore. 😦

I had enough of the mustard ponte knit left over from my Ondee pullover and am happy I put it to good use! The ponte is super soft but I found it does pill a little, so be careful while wearing/washing it. I’ve worn the heck out of my Ondee and it’s not pilled bad enough to hide it from the public eye… yet…

I guess I’ll just have to wait until the fall to bust this out again. *Sigh* I guess I’ll have to move on to making summer clothes now!

But of course I wanted to eke out another sweatshirt I couldn’t possibly wear in this heat because that’s how I roll!

Meet St. Paddy’s Day Linden! There is no way I will be able to wear this on March 17th since it will probably be about 93 F by then. *Cries*

This Linden was borne of my desire to make more room in my sewing cabinet and to get rid of this awful polyester sweatshirt fabric I got from Joann’s. I had some left over from that terrible Paxson Sweatshirt I made last year and felt it would do better in smaller quantities.

It worked out pretty well! The green fabric is a ponte from GirlCharlee.com, which is the same fabric as the mustard. So comfy!

Bright outdoors = the perfect “smize“

The grey poly has pretty much no drape and really capitalizes on the boxy cut of this pattern:

I’m not sure if this one will make it out in public except for those errands-running comfy days. We’ll have to see next winter, I guess!

Do you have the foresight to sew for the season ahead, instead of the season you’re leaving behind? Am I alone in this? Tell me in the comments!

-RED