The Blanket Paradox

For someone whose New Year Resolution was - 'I should probably get dressed this year' - this make was bound to be risky. For us work at home types - we perpetually walk a fine line between human and blanket at all times. 

The fact I haven't bought make up for about 2 years will tell you which side of that I usually land on.

I had purposefully not bought myself an Oodie/other brands are available/wearable blanket this winter knowing that I may just join Clyde Tortoise in hibernation if I did put one on.  

Enter the Billie Wearable Blanket - (let's be real, it's an Oodie). This is a FREE pattern by DIBY Club. You'll be pleased to know it's Unisex. That made chuckle as it better be Unisex, its a blanket. It's probably Unispecies. 

FREE pattern - 1 point in the direction of making this. 

Minerva then contacted me for the Brand Ambassador scheme and offered up this bug print fleece!! Free fabric (in exchange for a post on their website here). 2nd point and the deciding vote as to whether this was going to get made. 

The pattern calls for a knit fabric. I disregarded that information. Although to be fair it does say you can use normal fleece but stretchy cuffs. I did that instead.  

 

Voila. You may now forward all correspondence to P.O. Box This Blanket and I will respond sometime in Spring. 

I'm not sure if moving into this for January means I've given up on life or made it way better. (As it happened I got poorly so it was a perfectly timed blanket).

I cut a size Large. Which I can verify - is very large. 

 

The fabric is amazingly soft and cosy and is double sided so there was no need to line this blanket. I did initially want to do french seams as the fluff was extreme - however the thickness meant that a good overlock of the edges was the only option. I was leaving more fuzz around the house than Bagel Cat in summer.  

Work appropriate - probably not however how do you know I don't have a full suit and tie on under this blanket?

No-one will ever know. Schrödinger's Blanket -  I am both simultaneously dressed and undressed until the blanket is removed. 

It's not getting removed.

All I can says is that if you want to occasionally live as a blanket, this is for you. Just make sure no-one tries to fold you or set up unsolicited picnic foods.

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Starting Cosy - Southbank Sweater

Happy New Year!

Hopping onto the blog today with a new to me pattern, in the form of the Nina Lee - Southbank Sweater.

I had resisted this pattern so long - I figured it was basically just a long jumper, so why not just lengthen a jumper. Which I did, and that was perfectly fine. 

 Buttttt something about the Southbank just kept niggling away at me. There are so many rave reviews about this pattern so I decided I'd just see for myself how good it really was.

Turns out - great! Worth the hype. (Although reviewing these photos it's not the most 'flattering' make but it's certainly comfy and well drafted).

For a  kick off, one of my favourite patterns (the Kew Dress) is by Nina Lee and fits really well so I thought that was a good start. 

Yes, it's just a long jumper but there's something about the cut and the fit that just elevates it in that Nina Lee way.

I cut a size 18 top grading to 20 at the hip and this seemed absolutely fine. No alterations made. I like that it's not tightly fitted but neither is it completely shapeless and baggy. The Goldilocks Zone of fit.

My fabric choice was this amazing galaxy print sweatshirt knit from Lilly & Mimi - I had never bought from them before and was pleasantly surprised to find some different prints unavailable elsewhere. This sweatshirt knit is so thick and cosy!!

As the knit is very thick I did worry about the stretch factor however this was not a problem. I just used ribbing for the cuffs.

The turtle neck on this is a nice size aswell as it doesn't strangle you or get in the way. Warm without being annoying. 

I  must have liked this version as about 2 days later I stash busted and used this amazing leopard sweatshirt from Truro Fabrics to make another. The perfect work from home outfit! Leggings and a Southbank - comfy and fairly put together should you have to go out.

There's not a lot else to say about this other than the pattern pieces go together really well, everything is where it should be. The whole thing you can whip up in about an hour and a half. I would definitely use ribbing for the cuffs where you have a less stretchy fabric though and save yourself some wrestling. 

All in all, I'm quite happy to have jumped aboard the Southbank bandwagon!

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