Sloane Season Is Here!

GET READY FOR FALL WITH THE LOVE NOTIONS SLOANE SWEATER

Every fall I can’t wait to make a few new Love Notions Sloane Sweaters. Why should you want some Sloanes? Well, it’s a fast sew, beginner friendly, cute, flattering, and the options are endless, need I go on? Oh yeah, and it is such a fun pattern to hack! Did you know I’ve been called the “Sloane Queen”? Well believe me, I’m not the only one that loves this pattern- and soon I’m sure you’re going to love it too!

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The Details

The Sloane is a drop shoulder pullover that includes two basic body styles. View A has a slimmer silhouette with a curved high/low shirt tail hem that falls about mid hip. View B has a boxier more relaxed fit. It features a waistband and hits a high hip.

Both views can be sewn with or without the yoke. It can be made as a basic crewneck or with a hood. Other options include a kangaroo pocket and elbow patches. There are so many different combinations you can come up with! The possibilities are endless!! Just go to the Love Notions Facebook Pattern Support group and type Sloane in the search. It’s hard to believe all the versions you’ll see are all made from this awesome pattern!

View A

This is my favorite version of the Sloane. I find it more flattering for my body shape. I have made more than I can even count for myself and for my sister. They all look so different because some include the yoke in contrasting fabrics, some have hoods, some have crewnecks, etc. Make sure to read further to see my newest View A Sloane with a Funnel neck hack. I made it from a beautiful sweater knit and I’m in love with it!!!

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View B

This version of the Sloane Sweater is also very versatile. It does have a boxier fit- but it makes a great basic sweatshirt. View B is always my go to for a comfortable sweatshirt. Since I’m retired, I have been sewing up a very casual wardrobe. I wear these all Fall and Winter. I love wearing them alone or under quilted vests The three versions below are all made with French Terry, which is my favorite for this style. The French Terrys below were all purchased from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. It is a Cotton/Lycra French Terry that is 95% Cotton/5% Lycra.

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The three versions below are also make with French Terry from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. Sometimes I like to add some type of embellishment, like the small linen pocket or appliqués made with my Cricut.

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Sizing/Fitting

The Sloane Sweater is available in sizes XS -5X. There is a Full Bust pattern piece included. It is important to remember that the FBA front pattern piece adds 2″ to the finished garment measurement at the waist and hip.

One of the great things about this pattern, is that you can size up or down depending on how you’d like your Sloane to fit. Most of the time I make mine according to my body measurements. Once in awhile, I do size up for a more oversized look with View B.

My Upper Bust = 39″, putting me in-between a L and XL. I have small shoulders, so I stick with the Large here. My full bust = 43″, which is 4″ larger than my Upper bust, so I go with the Full Bust front piece. My hip measurement measures an XL.

For View A I make the Large with the FBA front piece. I do not grade out for my hips, since there is enough ease for them. When I make View B, I do grade out to an XL for my hips.

Since I am only 5 feet tall, I have shortened the body by 2″. I shorten the sleeve by 2″ as well. Another adjustment I made is to the sleeve cuffs. I like to tighten them a tad so they fit more closely. I suggest trying the cuffs on your wrist before you attach them to check if you are happy with the fit.

It’s important to remember that different fabrics will make the Sloane fit differently.

Every time I make a Sloane, I keep a record of it, and of any changes I made. It helps to be able to look back at what I did on previous versions.

Fabrics

The Sloane Sweater is designed for knits that have some drape, such as sweater knits and French Terry. The possibilities are endless! It is important to remember that the fabric you use may affect the way the Sloane fits you. Knits that have a lot of stretch and not as much recovery will produce a slouchier sweater. French terrys with good recovery will produce a boxier fit Sloane.

I have made Sloane Sweaters with Hacci sweater knit, cable sweater knits, waffle knits, French Terry- both thicker cotton/spandex and baby French Terry. It’s really hard to say which is my favorite. But, I think for a dressier version I love Hacci sweater knit and for a more casual version cotton/spandex French Terry.

Sleeve & Neckline Hacks

My most recent Sloane Sweater hack is my new favorite. I drafted my own “funnel” collar. It was simple to do and you can adjust it to your liking. This might not work for heavier fabrics such as French Terry, but worked nicely with the sweater knit I used. It would also work well with waffle knits or any knit that has some drape.

Sometimes, I want my sleeves to not be so basic. On these three versions, I have slashed and spread my sleeve. I used the same altered pattern piece for all three. For the Striped version on the left, I gathered the wider sleeve into the cuff. The middle version, I made a casing for 1/2″ elastic. The version on the right,I just hemmed for a “bell” sleeve. You can go HERE to see how to slash and spread your sleeve.

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Color Blocking

For those of you who are not that adventurous, the Sloane is a great place to begin color blocking. The work is already done for you! Who says your Sloane must be all the same color/fabric. Each one you make can be entirely different by choosing different fabrics for the yoke, cuffs, hood and/or sleeve. The Oatmeal and Camo French Terry version on the far left is the VERY FIRST Sloane I ever made- and I still wear it all the time.

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If you are a tad more adventurous you can use the Sloane as the base for color blocking on your own.

For the center stripe versions, I took the front pattern piece and traced it onto tracing paper. I then held the pattern piece up to myself and determined where I wanted my “stripe” to be. I drew lines on my pattern piece. I then cut the front pattern piece apart and added a 3/8″ seam allowance to all 3 sections- top section, middle section(on top and bottom of piece) and the bottom section.

I wanted to make sure neither of the seams went right across my bustline. For reference, my finished stripe(or middle sections is 13″ inches wide. My stripe begins 2 inches down from the neck seam.

For the diagonal version in the middle, I started with a traced front piece. I held it up to me to determine where I wanted the diagonal line to go across my chest. I marked the line, then simply cut my pattern piece apart. I also modified this version to have a short sleeve.

You can cut up the front bodice piece in any way you’d like. Just remember to add seam allowances!!!

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RTW Copycats

Sometimes, I see things in RTW that inspire me AND I know that I can make it myself to fit me much better than anything I can buy in the stores.

Sew Mary Mac’s Tips

• Take a chance- be creative!
• Don’t be afraid to cut up your pattern!
• Experiment with different types of knits.
• Invest in a good Pattern Tracing Cloth, it makes doing hacks so much easier. This is what I use. I buy it by the bolt whenever I see it on sale.
• For View A hemming, use a fusible adhesive tape, such at HeatnBond Soft Stretch to avoid rippled hems. You can click HERE to see how I use this when hemming all my knit garments. Scroll down to “My Favorite Notion”
• For perfect neckbands you can click HERE to see my tips. Scroll to the bottom of that post.

Thanks for stopping by my little blog!

MaryAnne 🙂

Remember to follow me on Instagram to see all my latest makes.

@sewmarymac

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Purchase the Sloane Sweater pattern HERE! This is my Affiliate link and I receive a small percentage to help fund my fabric addition. It doesn’t cost you anything additional! For an additional 10% off any Love Notions pattern, use my coupon code MARYMAC10. This code never expires!

Some of the above fabrics were given to me for promotion and some of the fabrics I purchased myself. As always all opinions are my own.

Here are some of my favorite fabric shops

Mily Mae Fabrics: Waffle knits, baby French Terry and sweater knits

Raspberry Creek Fabrics: Cotton/Spandex French Terry and Hacci sweater knits

Olga’s Closet: Sweater knits