*This article may contain affiliate links.
There are patterns I tend to sew again and again like Jalie #2795.
I’ve only sewn it once “as is”!
This time, I wanted a sweater with some modifications.
Jalie 2795
The pattern is for a zippered knit jacket.
A three-piece optional hood and welt pockets make the pattern a staple already.
I had sewn it traditionally for my daughter…
And totally hacked it into a rain jacket for me.
Now, I wanted to hack it into a half-zip sweater.
Alterations
I cut the front on the fold instead of cutting 2 front pieces.
Then, I got rid of the pockets by simply drawing a line on the outet of the pocket placement.
Since I didn’t want rib knit bands, I lengthened all the pieces of the bodice and lower sleeves.
You don’t like having the zipper pull right under your nose? Make a zipper garage as I did.
End result for a 2795 sweater
Fabric is a sweatshirt knit with fleece backing*. It’s rather stretchy in width (much less in length, fortunately, or we would end up with a sweater dress!).
The fleece back makes it extremely soft against the skin. It’s rather thick so, if making a zipper garage, you may want to use a lighter knit. I didn’t and it was thick at the zipper garage’s level.
I cut a straight size V and it’s comfortably wide. I added a bit too much length on the sleeves so I did faux cuffs.
While I was serging the sides, I thought it would be cute to add side slits. I thus hemmed the front and back independantly before stopping serging at about 6 cm from the edge. Then, using an Instagram tutorial, I added some twill tape to finish the slits. I would advise to use twil tape with a width superior to 1 cm.
I also stiched a Minerva label I got in my package. It adds a nice touch of color at the hem.
The collar seems to be too high. Next time, I’ll lower it and trace it closer to my neck. I really need to have my neck covered during the winter months!