Basic Black Staples: Julia Cardigan, Aberdeen Tunic and Manila Leggings

One thing I learned from the Wardrobe Architect exercises is that in the past, I’ve sewn a lot of interesting things that I didn’t end up wearing in my everyday life. As a quilter, I was drawn to sewing clothes with quilting cottons in fun patterns, but I needed plain, solid pieces to wear with them. With that in mind, I bought five and a half yards of Robert Kaufman Laguna Jersey in Onyx and made three different projects.

Julia Cardigan

This is the fourth Julia Cardigan that I’ve made, but the first one with three-quarter length sleeves. The long ones were great for winter, but I’m a spring girl at heart, and I love my three-quarter length sleeves. While I still enjoy wearing this pattern, I’m getting a little tired of sewing it. I want to make a short-sleeved version, and then I’ll probably put it away for a while, and try something new. This cardigan definitely filled a hole in my wardrobe and I love it.

Aberdeen Tunic

I am infatuated with the Aberdeen Tunic right now. It is so quick and easy, and I feel like a rock star when I sew the v-neck. For this, my second Aberdeen, I graded out a size in the hips and it is just right. Part of me just wants to sew five more of these and wear a different one each day of the week.

Manila Leggings

The other day, my ready-to-wear leggings bit the dust, and thanks to my subscription to Seamwork, I happened to have just the right pattern on hand to sew up a replacement: the Manila leggings. I chose the size based on my measurements, and was pleasantly surprised that they fit pretty well with no adjustments. I left off the “petals” because I usually wear tall boots over my leggings. The next time I make this pattern, I might make the waistband a little snugger and the leg openings a little less snug. It was super satisfying to sew my own leggings. Even though I don’t consider wearing leggings to be equivalent to wearing pants, I’m going to count these as sewing pants for the first time.