Remember last week when I indulged in my fall sweater fantasy? Turns out, it’s still August. Bummer. Also, despite what people may say, it doesn’t cool off a whole lot around here after Labor Day. If it’s crisp, chilly air you crave, you should set your sights on Thanksgiving. If you’re new to the DMV from points north, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I’ve lived here for 20 years, so you think I’d be used to it by now. Nope. I still can’t stop myself from whining about it every year. I’m a real delight to be around in the early fall.
But! I do have good news for you! You can make yourself an “it’s almost fall but still feels like summer” outfit! September will roll around and you’ll see people wearing their fall clothes despite the heat. Don’t play that sweaty game. You can pick fall colors but use summer-friendly fibers, and you will literally be the coolest.
Check this out:
Comfort paired with chic styling? #winning.
First up, that dress. The Fielder by Merchant & Mills takes secret pajamas to a whole new level. This design is based on a sweatshirt, for heavens’ sake. Stitch this one up in a lightweight fabric like the linen we used here, and you have made yourself a dream dress. It’s almost enough to make you forget that you live in a place where it can be 85 degrees in October! (almost!)
If you look closely, you’ll see that the sleeves have cuffs. Those are ribbed cotton cuffs, just like you have on your favorite sweatshirt. For reals. Same with the finishing on the collar. We sell this by the yard, so there’s really nothing standing between you and the most comfortable dress ever.
Now let’s look at the shawl. It’s the Moonrise Shawl by Olga Buraya-Kefelian. This is a lace-weight shawl with a modern esthetic. Here’s what it looks like spread out:
Very cool, right? This shawl was stitched up using 3 cones of Ito Washi and 3 cones of Ito Tetsu held together. You can use any lace-weight yarn you’d like, but one of the yarns should be the Tetsu or something similar. The Tetsu has a stainless steel filament (really!) which is how the shawl maintains its shape. If you hold two lace-weight yarns made of only wool or silk, the shawl will flop and squish together around your neck and you wouldn’t be able to see the design. Yes, “flop and squish” is a thing, and you want to avoid it if you can.
I hope this inspires you to get stitching! As always, if you make one of these patterns and post it to social media, please use the hashtags #mustmakemonday #fibrespaceFO #sewwithstitch. See you in the shop!
