Buenos dias from Argentina! While I was developing my latest Kimono Sweat pattern, I made up a bunch of samples for myself to test the fit and how they performed while exercising… or in the case of View A, how practical they were for post-exercise! Today I’d like to show you one of my earlest View A samples, made up in a cheap grey sweatshirting, but it’s one I’ve worn over and over again throughout the summer.
Two tops from one pattern! View A is a top with a deep armscye and kimono-inspired short sleeves with a faced V-neck and dipped hem, designed to wear for your warmup or cool-down, or even just with jeans.
If you’ll recall, this is same view of the pattern which you’ve seen Binta modelling, and it’s one I’ve found to be so useful for rolling up into my kit bag to throw on over my sweaty workout clothes post workout. The short sleeves cover up your shoulders but they’re still loose enough to let a bit of airflow through, and wearing it means I don’t feel quite as self conscious on the bus ride home.
The grey sweatshirting fabric is from Minerva – I initially bought it because it was cheap and I wasn’t sure if the muslin would work out or not, but it turned out to be a nice choice because it’s not super fluffy inside, though it does show every wrinkle after a wash!
Here I chose to do some fancy contrast stitching around the neckline, hem, and sleeve facings with my coverstitch. It just meant sewing from the wrong side of the fabric (ie: with the facings facing up) and threading fluroescent orange thread into the looper. It gives it the look of a RTW flatlock but without having to fiddle with machine settings or even gasp(!) buy a new machine. This and other variation ideas are included in the pattern, and give you a few more ideas to get more looks from one pattern.
Because I know how much you all love my weird-shaped pattern pieces, I couldn’t resist a special “Fehr Trade touch” on the sleeve of View A, which wraps around and gives nice shoulder coverage while being a bit more interesting than the average cap or short sleeve.
I’ve actually got yet another sample of View A I’ve not photographed yet, but the green casualwear one was precious enough to warrant coming along with me on holiday in my very crowded suitcase…
