Welcome to Day 3 of the Ali Sweatshirt Sewalong. The Ali Sweatshirt is designed to be used with light to medium weight sweatshirt fabric that has at least 20% stretch. The stretch is very important because without it you may not be able to get the sweatshirt on over your head. I know this from experience. There are fabrics out there that look like sweatshirt fleece but do not stretch.
When I was developing this pattern, I did not have the easiest time finding sweatshirt fabric. Anytime I saw sweatshirt fabric in the store, I would just snatch it up. So I’m very happy that today I’m able to provide you with a bunch of awesome online sources. I’ve chosen a few of my favorite fabrics but click on the names of the retailers below to see more of their sweatshirt appropriate fabrics.
Double Knit from Finch Fabrics
Supplies
I use a combination of the conventional sewing machine and the serger/overlocker when sewing the Ali Sweatshirt. If you don’t have a serger, you can use the conventional sewing machine for the whole project. Likewise, if you decide that you don't want to do any topstitching, you can use only the serger. And of course, if you have a coverstitch machine this is a great opportunity to put it to use.
The notions for this pattern are fairly easy to find and might already be in your stash. First off, I recommend using a ballpoint or jersey needle. This will help prevent skipped stitches. Make sure to test the needle on a scrap of your chosen fabric before starting in on your garment. For topstitching, I like to use a twin needle with wooly nylon thread in the bobbin (tutorial here). I will go into more detail on topstitching in the next post but feel free to play around and do what works for you. My testers tried a variety of methods and had really great results.
That’s all for today. If you haven’t picked up your copy of the pattern, you can find it in the shop here. Tomorrow we will start sewing! Full schedule below.
SEWALONG SCHEDULE
DAY 1 Inspiration – Monday, Sept 17
DAY 2 Selecting your Size & Printing your Pattern – Tuesday, Sept 18
DAY 3 Fabric & Supplies – Wednesday, Sept 19
DAY 4 Sewing the Yoke & Sleeves – Thursday, Sept 20
DAY 5 Assembling the Body – Monday, Sept 24
DAY 6 Neckline Binding – Tuesday, Sept 25
DAY 7 Sewing the under arm seams, cuffs and hem band – Wednesday, Sept 26
