Two days before Valentine's Day, I saw someone at my bible study wearing this sweater. I determined to make one for Valentine's Day, as one does. Am I right?!? Nothing like a last minute sewing project.
I wanted to mimic the slightly boxy, dropped shoulder style. I knew the Monroe Turtlneck pattern I had just made would be the perfect starting point. With only 4 pattern pieces, it is a breeze to sew.
Of course the hack took a bit more effort. First, I color blocked the sleeves. Next, I scooped out the neckline and swapped the turtleneck for a neck band. Finally, I reduced the style ease in the body of the Monroe Turtleneck pattern from the size 2 to a size 1. Sizing down would have made the sleeves too short and tight. Reducing the style ease made for a loose, not too boxy fit. Adriana wrote a great article differentiating the types of ease. Be sure to check it out!
The olive sweater knit fabric came from a warehouse in Dallas. I followed Melissa's helpful tips for sewing with sweater knits with great results.
The star of the show is of course the heart zipper pocket. While it is fully functional, I'm not sure I would really use it for storage. The pocket might come in handy for a lone key or stick of gum. Let me know if you would like to see a full tutorial on this zipper heart pocket. Basically, I used two heart shaped pieces of woven fabric. After attaching the exposed zipper to one, I sewed the hearts right sides together and turned it right side out through the zipper opening. I reinforced the wrong side of the sweater knit where I would attach the heart, and topstitched around the edge to secure the pocket to the sweater. Even with the hacks, the heart sweater came together in just enough time for me to wear it to classroom parties on Valentine's Day. I call that a success!
