Living in Lindens


floral linden1

Pattern: Linden from Grainline Studios
Fabric: floral scuba knit from Metro Textiles, black fleece from Fabric Place Basement
Size: 4

Jeans: Paige Denim
Sneakers: Reebok

Happy New Year!  It’s the first Monday after the holidays and the winter “blahs” are setting in for me…temps are dipping waaaay low this week (12 degrees tonight, brrr), the snow we’ve avoided in New England so far this winter arrived last weekend (with more to come this week), and spring feels very far away.  So what’s a gal to do but hunker down with some tea and whip up some cute sweatshirts!


floral linden2

As the title of this post suggests, I’ve been living in a couple of new Linden sweatshirts I recently made over the past few weeks.  At first I wasn’t sure about the pattern – the fit is much boxier than garments I usually wear and felt like I was wearing a big, shapeless sack for a top.  But since I kept reaching for my first version over and over again, made out of a navy striped double-knit, I knew that the style grew on me and I really liked how easy it is to wear!


floral linden3

Like a lot of Jen’s patterns, the Linden is versatile and can change in look and feel depending on what kind of fabric you use – heck, I wore my gray version for New Year’s Eve with some sparkly necklaces and skinny black pants.  For my third version, my favorite, I paired a floral print scuba knit (aka neoprene) for the front with a super soft black sweatshirt fleece for the rest of the sweatshirt.  I like that the floral makes it a little dressier and special than a regular sweatshirt, sort of unexpected.  When I was sewing this, I kept getting flash-backs from the 90’s of a floral shirt and leggings set I wore in elementary school!

I made all of my Lindens on my serger, which made them a fast sew.  Like, criminally fast, even for someone as slow as I am.  The only change I made was to lengthen the neckband pattern piece by about 5/8″ since it was too difficult to stretch correctly on my first version.  The longer length fit better around the neckline, and I didn’t get any puckering as a result.


floral linden4

I never miss an opportunity to take a cheesy photo.

In all honesty, the Lindens I’ve been making are just “sewcrastination” – I keep putting off prepping for my Great Coat Project of 2015.  I have one more project that I’m just about finished with (which will be my first finished garment of the year!) and then I’ll start.  Pinky swear!

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13 Comments

  1. January 5, 2015 / 2:52 pm

    Gorgeous use of the scuba! I have some in my stash that has just been sitting there staring at me, and this is a great idea for using it…. As for the coat – just start now because it takes ages and it's easier to do it little bit by little bit 🙂

    • January 14, 2015 / 3:56 am

      You're right – I bit the bullet and jumped in this weekend to coat making! I made an Anise last year and it took foreverrrr hopefully this one will go a little faster.

  2. January 5, 2015 / 4:20 pm

    This looks so cute on you! Now get crackin' on that coat! 😀

    • January 14, 2015 / 3:56 am

      Yes ma'am! 🙂

  3. January 5, 2015 / 10:10 pm

    Love that floral scuba knit! What a great fabric choice. It looks fabulous on you! Chic and cozy. Though, I can't wait to see your 2015 coat!

    • January 14, 2015 / 3:58 am

      Chic and cozy – best of both worlds! Thank you!

  4. January 6, 2015 / 12:25 am

    I've been considering buying the Linden pattern, and this might just be the thing that pushes me to actually do it. I have some floral fabric that would work perfectly for something like this. Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂

    • January 14, 2015 / 3:57 am

      It's SO versatile, each version I have looks completely different because of the fabric selection. You should try it!

  5. January 6, 2015 / 2:24 am

    This is a great top on you! Love your fabric choice and I understand the need for some quick projects before immersing yourself in a huge all encompassing project!

    • January 14, 2015 / 3:58 am

      Thanks Carolyn! There may be some other instant-gratification projects sprinkled in while I make this doozy of a coat project!

  6. January 6, 2015 / 1:18 pm

    This top is really cute! Great choice to pair the floral scuba knit with black.

  7. January 20, 2015 / 3:34 am

    So so cute! And comfy 🙂 Love the floral / black combo!

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