Aleks Preps For Fall With the Elastic Tie Sweater

 @ixtesacred

Pattern: The Assembly Line Elastic Tie Sweater

Size Made: Small

Fabric: Shetland Speckle Flannel in Plum by Robert Kaufman

Notions: elastic, fusible interfacing; matching thread

Modifications: None

I do most of the product receiving at Fancy Tiger Crafts, which means I get to see new products as I unpack them from their boxes.  There are so many times, as a new line of fabric comes out of the box, that I say, "Wow, this is gorgeous.  I must make something out of this!"  This Shetland Speckle Flannel was one of those wow moments. The variety of colors and the price point makes this fabric an easy choice for any project. 

I had the same feeling when I saw the Elastic Tie Sweater pattern by The Assembly Line.  I love the clean lines and simplicity of the design.  Put the two together and voila!  Simple beauty!  Beautiful simplicity!

This was my first time to work with The Assembly Line brand of patterns and I was a bit challenged with the metric dimensions in the directions.  I read the metric dimension, converted it to inches, and then did again for the next dimension I read – back and forth.  It would have been so much easier if I just translated all the metric dimensions before I started.  Some of the written directions were also hard to follow.  However, the pictures were amazing and super easy to understand. The flannel was also very easy to work and construct with so in the end, everything came together brilliantly!   

I made a size small and it fits perfectly as a shirt.  If I make another one, I will make it the next size up so I can comfortably wear a t-shirt underneath it.  I hate to admit it, but it took me a while to remember how to do a blanket stitch around the holes for elastic ties.  So, for the next one, the holes will be made by using my sewing machine’s buttonhole maker ; )

As the leaves are starting to turn yellow around my neighborhood, fall is just around the corner. I can’t wait for the temperatures to drop so I can wear this lovely addition to my wardrobe.