I recently attempted reading 4 books concurrently which is something I used to do all the time but haven’t tried for ages. I found I can handle it mentally; keeping things straight between books isn’t an issue. The issue was how stinkin’ long it took me to finish each book. Just because I was reading more books didn’t mean I had more time to read said books. I felt I was reading and reading but never finishing anything.
And then I went and inadvertently did the exact same thing with my sewing projects. I rarely make quilts, but I recently started a quilt and thought I could handle that as well as a boiled wool jacket I’ve had on my To Make list for years. But before I could finish either of those I realized I had a trip coming up and wanted to make some stuff for that. Needless to say, I got way in over my head and finally decided to set some of the projects aside in order to focus on FINISHING projects.
My route was a bit silly, since instead of finishing one project, which would have been much faster, I opted to finish three! Ha! But they were all knit tops that just required a couple seams, neckbands and hemming, so I batch-sewed them all and cranked them out as fast as I could. One of those tops was the pattern I’m talking about today which is Simplicity 9020.
The pattern is definitely meant to be sleepwear and it kind of has everything in it, including a top with or without sleeves, jogger style pants, shorts, an eye mask and even a scrunchie pattern. I tossed it in my cart kind of last minute during one of my Joann $2 pattern hauls and have no regrets. I’ve only made the top so far and it’s very basic but basics are what I wear most so it’s fine by me!
I made this purple version in the fall using fabric that I’d picked up from Joann. Their knit fabric is typically not my favorite, but this lightweight french terry seemed pretty good quality and I liked the color so I got a couple yards of it. It has pilled a bit but otherwise is still in good shape after a few months of wear. I bought the fabric a couple years ago and haven’t seen it back on their shelves.
The pattern is very similar to ones you can get for free including the Mandy Boat Tee and the Hemlock Tee. All are baggy, drop shoulder, knit top patterns with subtle differences. This version has a slightly different neckline-one that involves an actual neckband, which I prefer- and a sleeve that sits somewhere in the middle (the Mandy sleeves are pretty tight and the Hemlock’s are too loose for my taste). If anyone asked, of the three, this version needed the least amount of fiddling with to get what I wanted out of it-but the Mandy and Hemlock are both solid patterns and you can’t beat free (well sometimes you really can)!
Because the pattern is meant to be oversized, I sized down and made an XS. I felt like this size would still give me plenty of room. I did, however, trace the pattern instead of cutting it out directly, so that I can make other sizes in the future if wanted.
The only adjustment I made to the pattern was a Forward Should Adjustment, which is something I’ve been doing a lot of lately and really loving the results. My first version I adjusted the shoulders 1/2 an inch which was a little too much, so I scaled back for my second version to a 3/8ths inch adjustment which seems to be my sweet spot.
I feel like, and I say this knowing full well that my fashion radar has forever and always been rusty, that the hem and sleeve length seem to have a lot of leeway. They could be longer and look good or shorter and look good. It’s oversized so I think length matters less? The pattern allows for a big hem allowance-2 1/4 inch if I’m remembering right. I tried mine on before hemming and pinned where I thought hems should go, but didn’t feel like there was a right or a wrong answer.
After wearing and liking my purple top, I decided I wanted to make another one.
I got this black and white stripe fabric from SAS Fabrics in the Phoenix area. I got 2 yards but it was cut very generously because I made tops for both of my girls plus matching tops for their dolls for Christmas (I should blog about these, they turned out very cute) and still had enough left over for this top. I was constrained by the amount I had left-it was probably less than a yard. At the very least, I needed to fit a bodice front, bodice back (both cut at the shortest cut line) and neckband, which I was able to do and had a little extra left which I decided to turn into very basic cuffs.
The cuffs are a touch small which kind of makes the sleeves puff out a bit, but nothing that will stop me from wearing it. I’ve felt a little picky about tee shirt fabric lately and I don’t absolutely love this fabric (it was only $3/yard so I’m not complaining too much) but I do like a stripe so I think this will get some good wear regardless.
All in all I think this is a solidly good pattern. It’s definitely basic but it’s comfortable and seems like it would go well with many different fabric substrates. I sometimes hesitate to post the things I make that are super basic like this (most people who sew clothes, have sewn something very similar to this), however, I feel like it’s more difficult to find reviews on Big 4 patterns so I just thought I’d throw this out there. Anyway, it’s a good pattern. I’ve worn it as sleepwear and day wear (is that a term?) and I’d say it works both ways.
Pattern: Simplicity 9020
Size: XS
Adjustments: Forward Shoulder Adjustment (1/2″ on purple; 3/8″ on striped)
Fabric: Purple is a French terry from Joann (purchased a couple years ago); Striped is some sort of jersey from SAS Fabrics
Cost: Pattern $2; Purple fabric-can’t remember!; and striped was leftover from other projects but very cheap (ha! sorry, It’s been awhile since I’ve had to be so vague! Not by choice here, just by memory!)
Would I make this pattern again?: I would!
I had a little helper during my photo shoot and had to include this one. Like mother, like son! Modeling just isn’t for us, I guess!
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