Partner, let me upgrade you. . .

As we are approaching nearly a year of this new “normal” (more like new abnormal if you ask me), I think we have all needed to make adjustments to our lifestyles. For me, I miss the days of dressing up, putting on make up and going out. Truth be told, nowadays there are many days where I end up rolling out of bed in my pajamas and working from home in those same pajamas. Some days I do “upgrade” and put on my house clothes. You know the ones- things that have hole and stains that you wouldn’t/shouldn’t wear outside in public.

As someone who loves clothes and loves building a wardrobe, watching this habit become my daily life was a bit dispiriting. One of my commitments for 2021 is to spend more time in clothes that make me feel good. I don’t think I’ll be wearing my formal dresses around the house but I at least want to not look raggedy. This project is the first in a series of pieces that I will make to upgrade my work from home and loungewear wardrobe.

I love a monochromatic look and over the last couple of years, I have been having a deep love affair with warmer shades of orange. I was ecstatic when I found this rich copper colored ponte fabric from Bohofabrics.com In addition to having a very hefty weight (about 16 ounces), it is luxuriously soft. It can be a bit difficult to find a good quality ponte- sometimes they pill, sometimes they are too light weight. This one is a double knit and has a moderate to full-bodied drape. It will also keep me warm in my home office which tends to err on the chilly side.

I made Burdastyle pattern (10/2015 #109b) top back in 2016 and have been wanting to make another one. I made a few alterations to the pattern:

Raised the shoulder seam by 2 inches because the original pattern has significantly lowered shoulder seams

I added piping to the center front and shoulder seams

I used a hem facing at the hem

The inspiration picture of Burdastyle pattern Knitwear Sweater A, Top B 109 | 10/15

Testing out where to place the piping

For the pants, I used Simplicity pattern S8956. It is a pattern that I’ve used before (check out my previous post on my yellow linen outfit). It is a pattern that is technically drafted for woven fabrics but the drape of the ponte is rich enough to compliment the pattern. I probably could have eliminated the zipper but I just wanted to practice my invisible zipper skills, LOL.

I am really happy with the results though I do wish I had made the pants slightly longer. What I like most about this outfit is that it will be super comfortable for travel once Earth opens up again.

Up next: A warm dress.