Pacific Half zip pullover.

You know how sometimes (but rarely) you end up with exactly what you imagined? I think that much of the time a project heads in one direction, changes to another, you fall in and out of love and then (hopefully) you end up with something you love, but probably a little bit different from what you imagined.

My Joules inspired pullover is exactly what I had hoped it would be.

This is the Pacific Pullover by Greenstyle Creations. Sizes xxs – 3xl

At $10 for the PDF you get all the running/training/beachwalking/windstop half zip pullovers you might ever need. It comes with so many options, hood, collar, or neck band, sleeves or sleeveless, hems or bands and cuffs, zipper or no zipper, and kangaroo pocket or side pockets. You have everything covered!
I specifically wanted a top I could wear a long sleeve top beneath but I wasn’t sure how much ease I required. Plus I wanted to practice the exposed zip. So I made a toile in some very cheap but very snuggly fine fleece pulled from the bins at Abakhan Mostyn.

Now, this is the size small (chosen in accordance with my bust measurement) but with an inch added to each side seam.

I had made it up in S but found it far too snug. It was a perfect size for a super stretchy performance fabric, but not for fleece with little stretch. But after perfecting the perfect exposed zip, I wasn’t going to start again from scratch. So the narrow side panels to the torso and the narrow sections of the 2 piece sleeve came in very handy!!

I was able to just unpick the narrow panels and cut larger ones, before sewing it back up. The side seams no longer match up, but who can tell?

These images look washed out but the fleece is actually this pale.
So next onto the real thing. This time in an organic heavy cotton stretch jersey from Discovery Knitting.
I can’t remember which rabbit hole I had fallen down when I came across this company. Discovery Knitting describe themselves as a high end boutique knitting mill located in Great Britain.

They have a proud heritage of manufacturing dedicated British knitted fabrics, especially sporty inspired, since 1986 and supply brand name designers and manufacturers throughout the UK, Europe, Japan and America.
However you can also purchase smaller orders (minimum order 2m) for personal use. All their fabrics include good descriptions and helpfully, weights in g/square metre.

This ‘Salcombe Jersey Breton Stripe, Organic Soft Rugby, Natural /Navy’ was a bargain at £8.15/m plus 20%VAT.
This time I went with the size medium. I wanted just a little more width at the shoulders for a top I was going to layer underneath. I also added a further 1cm to the side seams and the underarm seams, just to be safe.

I’m thrilled with it and glad I went with my red zip from my stash.

So all I need is a cool windy beach or yacht as my backdrop as we head into another mini heat wave!!

My sewing is always swayed by the weather which is why I’m sewing up jumpers in August!!

Love, Lucie xx