This winter has been brutal guys. It is not rare for me to go an entire day without leaving the house. I am going a bit stir crazy and I can not wait for spring. So, comfort has been the key the last few months. Along with a lot of
Hudson pants and
Linden sweatshirts, I have developed a new uniform of sorts that works perfect for working from home and playing on the floor with kiddos, while still appropriate for slipping on some snow boots to go to the store or pick up kids from school.
It's my two current pattern obsessions - the
Mandy Boat tee from Tessuti (which I have already sung the praises of in
past blog posts) and the
Espresso Leggings by Cake Patterns.
Let's start with the
Mandy Boat Tee. This time around I made it up in this perfect sweater knit from fabric.com (which they appear to be out of currently). It has a loose weave and a heavy drape which made it perfect for a boxy fit. I think I finally have the fit right with this one size fits all pattern too. I take about 1 inch out of both center front and center back. This helps it lay nicer on my shoulders. I also lengthened the sleeves to a full length sleeve instead of 3/4 length. And then I lengthened the back hem by about 4 inches and the front by about 2. I curved the hem to connect the two. I wanted to make sure that the hem was plenty long enough to cover both my butt and crotch since I knew that I would be wearing it with leggings. Looking at these pics I probably could have gone even a bit longer in the front.
Now for the
Expresso leggings by Cake Patterns. I was a little skeptical at first because the pattern uses a connect the dots type of drafting technique for your fit. It felt a lot like elementary school and I was sure that there was no way these were going to be professional in the end. I was wrong. These are the best fitting leggings that I have ever worn. I have short legs and so I was able to make the length correct and also have the knee hit at the right place. I also really like my leggings high waisted so that they act more like a control top. This pattern lets you choose your waist height which I love. I made them up in a nice black black ponte knit fabric from my stash. I love that they are thick enough not to show all of the ripples and lines like a normal legging would plus they are nice and warm for the cold weather.
So there you have it, my new handmade uniform. I reach for it whenever it is clean.
Outfit Details:
