Challenge Create: Knit Fabric Swap

It’s my turn to share what I made for Skirt Fixation‘s Challenge Create: Knit Fabric Swap.

The challenge is that we were sent two yards of fabric that didn’t have to be continuous, but MUST be knit, to make anything we wanted to make.  Sounds easy enough right?  Well sometimes when things are that wide open it can be harder to get inspired….

Charity from Say Grr Sewing was charged with sending me the swap fabric.  In her notes she said that she had purchased the floral and the yellow and was a bit disappointed in the quality of the yellow it when it arrived so she threw in the white at the last minute.  I really like the color of the yellow – it has some orangey bits mixed in when you look closely – and wanted to use it even if it was a little thin.  However, the three fabrics sat in a pile in my sewing room for ages as I couldn’t figure out what to make with them.  They weren’t “speaking” to me the way fabric normally does if I leave it in plain site, until I got the idea to add another color to the mix.

I tried a few different solids, but gasped when I put this variegated orchid knit next to the others.  The orchid did something to the floral that pleased my eye.

I knew immediately that I would make another Paneled Sunsuit for Bean with a cardi to complete the look.

For the Paneled Sunsuit I used two layers of the orchid on the bottom since it was also a little thin.  I treated the two layers as if they were one so it wouldn’t be too see through.  The leg openings were extended just slightly to make more of a ruffled edge.

Just like the first one I made, the bodice is fully lined.  The white fabric was perfect for a soft lining and I like that we see pops of white here and there as Bean moves around.  I added a strip of the yellow at the top of the bodice to tie the fabrics together.

The cardigan I chose to make is the Aster Cardigan from LBG Studios through Willow & Co.  I have been eyeing that pattern since Vanessa designed it for her season of Project Run & Play.  It’s a really sweet shape and perfect for layering.  The pattern does not disappoint.  It’s even better than I expected and so easy to follow.

The inside finishes are nice and clean which I really like for the insides of a top layering piece that might be unbuttoned or removed.

I adore how this outfit came together.  Bean seemed really comfortable in it (she basically ran around the yard the entire shoot) and the sunsuit is super cute.  The cardi will be worn a lot this fall and I was really happy to use that yellow fabric after all!

Don’t forget to stop by Skirt Fixation to vote for your favorite knit fabric look (hint, hint) in this week’s challenge!!