Jersey Weave Sweatshirt

Earlier this month, I attempted to create a jersey-weave sweatshirt from a DIY/tutorial by the talented Sophie at The Forge.  I spent days staring at Sophie's creation, looking at it from all angles to analyze the intricacies of her work, particularly the perfectly curved, checkerboard-style lines in the front of the sweatshirt (which the jersey shirt is woven through, hence the name).  Sophie's secret weapon: a fabric marker.

My secret weapon: the inability to follow directions--and as a consequence, reinterpreting them...

Without a fabric marker, I free-handed my sweatshirt lines with my trusty box cutter (thanks, husband).  Roughly two days later, with half the t-shirt cut up and woven through the sweatshirt, I was finally done.

Thoughts on my course of action:
The lines ended up looking slightly off-kilter, organically curving across the front of the sweatshirt.  (Note to self: you can't see the cuts you make in dark-colored fabric.)  I also did not cut out the collar of the sweatshirt, which detracted (I think) from the "slightly trendy/cozy" appeal of the initial design.  My chosen color combination was also reminiscent of holiday sweaters; the front of the sweatshirt was slightly heavy due to the weaving of fabric.

An issue I had:
The sweatshirt fabric tears slightly if you pull on it after lines are cut, so I am unsure of how Sophie was able to have the lines so close to one another without accidentally making two of her cuts (in separate, one-on-top-of-the-other lines) rip into one.  Also, don't pull too hard on the jersey fabric because the front of the sweatshirt bunches up, leaving the piece looking ruched/ruffled.

However, my result is a very unique sweatshirt.  I can see why Sophie cut out the collar and part of the sleeves--she has a great eye for matching details.  I, on the other hand, don't care so much for matching, so my creation is perfect for me. 

Ready for a comparison?

Note: the sweatshirt looks better on a model than hanging from a hanger on the door.

The Forge's sweatshirt:

Which was inspired by the now non-existent site pups-paris.com design:

My end product:

Yes, I would recommend this project for a Christmas gift if you have the time and patience to work slowly (especially with the cutting and fabric weaving), and if you can be gentle with the fabric.


Feel free to leave a comment!