Morris Blazer, O! Jolly! Fabric

I  knew Mesa Plaid would be perfect for a jacket or coat, but I couldn't figure out which one. While the new O! Jolly! cotton knit fabrics are "sweater knits", Mesa  is more stable than the typical sweater knit. It has the highest stitch density (stitches per square area of fabric) of any fabric in the new grown-in-color cotton collection.

It was around the time that the fabrics launched that I began noticing completed Morris Blazers turning up on blogs and Instagram. I loved the style and soon learned that a medium weight stable knit was a suggested fabric. Yes! But honestly, my Mesa and Morris pairing might never have happened if there hadn't been a US copy shop print option. (Thank you, Grainline Studio!) Copy shop prints are what I use if I digitally draft a pattern for myself, and they've become my absolute favorite pattern format. Aren't we lucky to have options!

Though I've never sewn a Grainline Studio pattern before, I didn't sew a mockup first. I chose my size according to the bust measurement and finished garment measurements listed. The blazer doesn't have a front closure and it's a knit. I figured it would be close enough.

I find I have better control when I cut patterns flat and do so about 98% of the time. Since this fabric is a plaid, it was imperative for me to cut it flat, taking all the necessary steps for pattern matching. I used a method similar to Jen's Quick & Easy Plaid Matching, except that I added more horizontal lines, probably more than were necessary with this fabric.

When I first read the pattern, it occurred to me that I could cut the back as a single piece, instead of two pieces, avoiding the center back seam, as I usually try to make as few cuts as possible with knits. It would also save a little sewing time. By the time I got around to actually placing pattern pieces on fabric, I'd forgotten my plan and cut the two separate pieces as indicated! (Attention any home machine knitters reading this post: This is an excellent cut and sew candidate for any narrow, stable fabric that you knit, as the back is designed to be cut as two pieces.)

Ever since I read this book, whenever I'm working with a US commercial pattern and a patterned fabric, I cut off the seam allowances from the paper pattern and thread trace the garment pieces at the sewing line. I then cut out the garment piece with seam allowances as big or small as needed. With thread tracing I can see the sewing line on both the right and wrong sides of the fabric -- very helpful when matching patterns on stretchy fabrics. I chose not to thread trace this time and only regretted the choice a couple of times. I don't do couture, but I really find it easier to match patterns during construction if the pieces are thread traced.

I like that Grainline Studio extends the grainline mark to the edges on the paper pattern pieces. I usually end up doing this myself. Even though knits don't have real grainlines, I always line up the pattern's grainline mark with a rib (if available) or wale of the knit fabric to keep the drape, look, and fit of the finished garment as it was intended. I chose to cut the sleeve facings and hem facings against the "grain" (that is, perpendicular to the ribs) in order to save fabric. Since the facings were to be interfaced anyway, I knew it wouldn't cause any stretching issues. Also, I knew I'd like the look if I ever rolled up the sleeves. As it turns out, I've only worn the blazer with the sleeves rolled up!

I sewed all seams with a narrow (0.5mm width) zigzag and finished any inside seam that would show when I removed the blazer with a stretchy Hong Kong finish. I cut up an old, thin t-shirt that I found in my husband's drawer (Don't tell.) to make the binding strips. It was very important to clip corners and trim seam allowances with the garment fabric, as stated in the pattern instructions, because seam allowances got quite thick in places. I top-stitched all seam allowances down, because I thought it made a nicer finish with the Mesa Plaid.

Though I usually don't like making such structured garments with knits, I really enjoyed sewing the Morris! I thought the written instructions and diagrams worked very well together. Whenever I had a question about a written instruction, the answer was found in the diagram. The only mess up I had was user error. I was setting in the first sleeve and mistook the the grainline mark (that mark I love so much) for the center of the sleeve head and couldn't figure out why things just wouldn't line up. Somehow I hadn't indicated the center mark on the sleeve I was working with. Placing the paper pattern piece back on the cut sleeve cleared things up immediately. The second sleeve was already properly marked and setting in went rather quickly.

I really am a lover of knits and I'm glad to have this addition to my wardrobe. Yes, it looks like a blazer, but it's amazingly comfortable to wear, just like a sweater! I can roll it up and shove it in a bag, and because it's a sweater knit, the wrinkles soon fall out... mostly. Thanks to the online sewing folk, Ginger Makes and Saturday Night Stitch, who called my attention to the pattern through their blogs, and thank you, Grainline Studio, for designing it!

O!

Making a Line of Natural Cotton Sweater Knit Fabrics

O! Jolly! New Hudson sweater knit, 2x2 Rib, and natural white yarn

When I first decided to manufacture a few of my sweater knit designs and offer them for sale directly to home sewists, I had no idea at that time that my small fabric collection, would be produced from cotton that was grown, ginned, spun, and then knit in the United States; cotton that grew in color or natural white with no dyes or bleach used in processing. At the beginning, as a knit textile designer, I had only a vague idea of the type of designs I wanted to see knit. Slowly, I went from fuzzy idea to the product I'm very excited about.

Closeup of grown-in-color cotton sweater knit jersey

It started with a request from a retired former client, who was now living in an area that had no quality sweater knits in the local fabric stores. After a few conversations I knitted a textured jacquard fabric that she loved. Soon after she had another request, a simple double knit this time. I then received an order from the client's friend. A quick Google search verified that there were indeed very few sources of quality sweater knits available online for the home sewer. Most of the sweater knits that were available were either acrylic or other synthetic blends.

Making Fabrics
Some of the nicer cotton and wool sweater knits that are available have well known designers' names attached to them; I hope these fabrics are manufactured ethically. But frankly, in the international textile and garment industries many items are not. (Perhaps you've seen John Oliver's recent rant on fast fashion? I'm hoping that tragedies haven't been in vain and that needed improvements in textile workers' health, safety, and compensation can become a reality.) Recently on Fashion Revolution Day, when asked, "Who made your clothes?" sewing enthusiasts could proudly reply, "I made my clothes!" For home sewers, who wish to dig more deeply, we've got to ask ourselves, "Who made your fabric?"

Indeed I had an idea of the fabric I wanted to make. It was time to source yarns and find a manufacturer. My search brought me to several offices and trade shows over the course of about a year. I didn't travel far. All the offices for international companies and fiber and knit fabric expositions I visited were in Manhattan. The unfortunate part was that minimums were too high (for me) and many of the answers to my questions were extremely slow in coming or remained totally unanswered. I was always speaking with a company rep!

The act of manufacturing textiles has an impact on the environment, but in my search I learned that there are positive initiatives in manufacturing. One example is the Natural Resources Defense Council's Clean by Design, which works in developing countries and "focuses on improving process efficiency to reduce waste and emissions and improve the environment". All the yarn I eventually chose to use for this line is produced from cotton grown in the US by farmers who use modern sustainable growing practices. The natural white cotton was grown by farmers enrolled in The Sustainable Cotton Project. This project educates cotton growers about sustainable processes, including biologically based pest management and avoidance of the 13 most toxic chemicals used in conventional cotton farming. Less water is required per pound of harvested Cleaner Cotton ™ fiber than for conventionally grown or organic cotton. One of the Sustainable Cotton Project's Cleaner Cotton partners, Lunatic Fringe, became my yarn supplier.

Though I initially worked with the Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator and had samples knit in their beautiful knitting lab, they are primarily set up for sweater knitting and were unable to produce the width I required for yardage. Happily, I was able to find a knitting mill in nearby New Jersey who worked with me to produce fabric that I'm immensely pleased with and thrilled to have manufactured so close to home.

Stoll knitting machine at Fleck Knitwear in suburban NJ where the new fabrics were knit

I learned lots during this whole adventure. It was very satisfying being able to talk directly with the woman who arranged for the spinning and plying involved in creating the beautiful yarns, and it was a pleasure meeting the man in charge of programming and knitting my designs. I'm far from big business, so in the big picture, maybe all my effort doesn't make a huge difference. But I'd like to think it makes a little difference. If many people make the effort to make a little difference, it adds up.

How the sewing community helps 
Kudos to those who reclaim and reuse or repair their existing fabric and clothing. And every sewer I know saves scraps to use for smaller projects. Those who sew for the joy of sewing can be good craftspeople, in that they can take real care in their selection of materials. We can ask questions and try to make good choices, choices that don't inadvertently reinforce damaging or unfair practices. This may mean fewer fabric purchases, but I encourage sewing enthusiasts to focus on the process of sewing over the number of projects completed, savoring the time spent with each individual project. The bonus is that the better the materials and the more carefully a garment is made, the longer the garment will last, and the longer the wearer can enjoy the garment.

O!
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Last update 30Oct2019