Been reaching for those cosy jumpers lately? We have too! If you want to sew yourself a snuggly classic sweatshirt, try this beginner friendly pattern from Simple Sew. Below, Simple Sew Blogger, Helen of @justsewhelen shares her version in a lovely French Terry fabric.  

I have my ‘go-to’ tee pattern that I can run up quite quickly and have been after a go-to sweatshirt pattern. The Classic Sweatshirt fits the bill and is a straightforward make with only three main pieces, plus extra for the cuffs, neck and waist.

The Fabric

Although I need layers in my wardrobe, I don’t like to wear anything too thick, due to being a certain age, and I also want to be able to take items on and off easily.  I’ve not made anything with French Terry before and chose this lightweight, red and palest pink stripe fabric from Bobbins & Buttons.  It’s the perfect weight, being neither too thick or too thin.  It washed well before I started work and, apart from some minimal rolling at the edges (not unexpected) it is very easy to work with.

I carefully squared the fabric as best as I could after washing to make sure the stripes were as level as possible.  To be on the safe side for cutting out, I worked with the fabric right side up and cut whole pattern pieces rather than cutting two layers on the fold because I wasn’t 100% certain that all the stripes were level.

The Classic Sweatshirt Pattern

I cut a 14 top grading out over my hips and it actually came up bigger than I expected.  It was easy to correct and I took in all the raglan sleeve seams by about 1 cm before sewing up the side seams. This also reduced the size of the neck opening which would also have been a little too big, I think.  I increased the seam allowance on both side seams to avoid the sweatshirt turning out too boxy and I will cut a size 12 for my next sweatshirt.

I have to confess I had difficulty working out exactly which ribbing, and how much, to buy. For example, standard jersey fabric, tubular ribbing, ribbed jersey etc.  I like the look of tubular ribbing but as it is usually sold in smaller widths this is what caused me the problem of how much to buy.  I chose pale pink to match the stripe in the fabric and, as it isn’t a colour I wear/sew often, I didn’t want to buy excessive ribbing for it to be potentially wasted.  Tubular ribbing is obviously double the width shown once cut one side. So, I took a gamble and ordered half a metre of 27-30 cm (54-60cm once cut).  I had just enough with no waste. The only slight change was that the waist rib had to be cut in two pieces and joined. I matched these seams with the side seams and you don’t notice once you’ve got it on.

The End Result

I’m really pleased with my sweatshirt and will now have to buy more fabric to make more! I like the weight of lightweight French Terry and the contrast ribbing. It’s a really simple and effective way to hem jersey. It allows the garment to be put on and off easily.  The pattern instructions are straightforward to make a basic garment and you can add a more professional finish by top stitching once the ribbing is attached and even along the raglan seams for a different effect.

We hope you love this stylish Classic Sweatshirt by Helen as much as we do. Click HERE to see more pattern reviews from the Simple Sew blogger team.

To discover the latest patterns and haberdashery from Simple Sew, click HERE