Rochester,NY - Flower City Inspired White Russian Sweatshirt

Fabric: White Waffle Knit Fleece - Colorado Fabrics
Pattern: White Russian - Capital Chic Patterns

After I made my first quilted white russian sweatshirt I knew I'd be making another before long. I picked up this fabric from Colorado Fabrics when I went down to Denver around September. It's hard to see in the pictures but the right side of the fabric actually is textured with a waffle pattern while the inside/wrong side is some of the softest fleece I've ever felt. The material has a bit of stretch to it and it's kind of spongy. I know that's a weird description but really there's no other way to describe it. When you pinch it between your fingers it almost feels like a foam mattress pad. The inspiration for this sweatshirt comes from Rochester, NY where I lived for a year a couple years back. Rochester was originally referred to as the 'flour city' due to producing a ton of flour, but as farming practices changed and the city did as well the nickname got changed to 'flower city'.

The city of Rochester logo                                                                                  My applique

 

Since the fabric I was using was already textured I decided to do some applique instead of quilting on this version. Out of a black knit fabric I cut out 5 pieces that I traced from the city of Rochester logo. I then pinned them on the center of my fabric and started to sew them on. I quickly realized that picking knit fabric to applique probably wasn't the smartest idea because it immediately started to stretch out of proportion. I ended up handing basting the pieces down, but they still ended up shifting a bit. After applying the applique the rest of the sweatshirt was a breeze to sew.

I figured I'd probably wear this sweatshirt to go snowboarding in a lot because the fabric was so cozy. With that in mind I chose to lengthen the pattern by 4 inches at the hem and grade out from the waist to the hem an inch on each side. I wanted a looser fit because I like to layer clothes when I go snowboarding and I didn't want to feel too bulky.

An action shot of me on the slopes at Keystone



I've already worn this twice to go snowboarding in and I love the feel and the length of it. I prefer to wear longer styled things so that when I fall (which happens a lot) less snow gets in my pants! I finished this and a couple projects ages ago, but never got around to blogging them. For me, if I don't take pictures and post something within a week of finishing I find that I'm less inclined to post it. Usually I've already started on a new project and am just so focused on that I forget about what I've made. With that said I'm trying to catch up on sharing the recent items I've made and the new stuff I'm working on: lots of Christmas sewing!

Fabric: White Waffle Knit Fleece - Colorado Fabrics
Pattern: White Russian - Capital Chic Patterns

After I made my first quilted white russian sweatshirt I knew I'd be making another before long. I picked up this fabric from Colorado Fabrics when I went down to Denver around September. It's hard to see in the pictures but the right side of the fabric actually is textured with a waffle pattern while the inside/wrong side is some of the softest fleece I've ever felt. The material has a bit of stretch to it and it's kind of spongy. I know that's a weird description but really there's no other way to describe it. When you pinch it between your fingers it almost feels like a foam mattress pad. The inspiration for this sweatshirt comes from Rochester, NY where I lived for a year a couple years back. Rochester was originally referred to as the 'flour city' due to producing a ton of flour, but as farming practices changed and the city did as well the nickname got changed to 'flower city'.

The city of Rochester logo                                                                                  My applique

 

Since the fabric I was using was already textured I decided to do some applique instead of quilting on this version. Out of a black knit fabric I cut out 5 pieces that I traced from the city of Rochester logo. I then pinned them on the center of my fabric and started to sew them on. I quickly realized that picking knit fabric to applique probably wasn't the smartest idea because it immediately started to stretch out of proportion. I ended up handing basting the pieces down, but they still ended up shifting a bit. After applying the applique the rest of the sweatshirt was a breeze to sew.

I figured I'd probably wear this sweatshirt to go snowboarding in a lot because the fabric was so cozy. With that in mind I chose to lengthen the pattern by 4 inches at the hem and grade out from the waist to the hem an inch on each side. I wanted a looser fit because I like to layer clothes when I go snowboarding and I didn't want to feel too bulky.

An action shot of me on the slopes at Keystone



I've already worn this twice to go snowboarding in and I love the feel and the length of it. I prefer to wear longer styled things so that when I fall (which happens a lot) less snow gets in my pants! I finished this and a couple projects ages ago, but never got around to blogging them. For me, if I don't take pictures and post something within a week of finishing I find that I'm less inclined to post it. Usually I've already started on a new project and am just so focused on that I forget about what I've made. With that said I'm trying to catch up on sharing the recent items I've made and the new stuff I'm working on: lots of Christmas sewing!