Twining From Afar

A few months ago I was scrolling and came across shirts that had funny sayings and was sending them to my friend, Afton. One in particular caught our attention and we couldn’t stop laughing about it. Since we both sew, in fact that is how we met, we decided it would be fun to make some for ourselves and twin.

We started discussing fabrics and patterns. Afton had heard great things about the bamboo cotton spandex sweatshirt fleece and coordinating ribbing from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. We looked at it and it seemed like a good option for the top we had in mind, and perfect for the coming cooler weather. We picked the heathered grey color for both the fleece and ribbing.

This was my first order with RCF and I was excited to try out something from them. When the fabric arrived I noticed right away how soft and squishy the sweatshirt fleece was. It has great stretch as well, which is a requirement for so many patterns, and as we hadn’t decided on a pattern yet, I wanted to make sure it would work for multiples. The ribbing wasn’t super stiff like some I have come across in the past, and that was a nice feature for me, because my neck is sensitive after a surgery years ago.

Then came the pattern selection. It is surprising how small of an overlap we actually had in our “sweatshirt” type patterns. We looked and looked and nothing seemed to fit what we wanted. Either it would need to be sized up several, changed from a hood to a neckband, reshaping the bodice, the sleeves were wrong, etc. Then Greenstyle Creations posted a sneak peek video on their Instagram, of a pattern in the works. It looked perfect!!

As Afton and I are both in their promotion/tester group, she asked about the testing and release timeline of it. It was meant to be. We were both able to test it, and it was released, just in time for our plans. The pattern is Sav’s Sweatshirt, in the regular length.

Sav’s Sweatshirt is designed for fabrics with minimal to no stretch, and ribbing for the neckband, hem band, and sleeve cuffs. You can read about my non stretch version here. BUT it also can be done with fabrics that have more stretch and so it worked perfectly with the fabric we picked from RCF. I’m glad the fabric has four way stretch and the pattern requires minimal, because I cut my bodice out with the greatest direction, not realizing that the heathering actually would be vertical. Afton cut hers the opposite way ( You can read about her version over on the RCF blog), and they both turned out beautifully.

So what was this super funny saying we decided to use?? I present to you, Retired Hot Girl. 🤣

We all try to feel our best, and for some that means showering and doing our hair, wearing makeup, getting dressed, etc. But as a Mom, or with my health issues, there are days where those things just don’t happen, and I feel less than my best. That feeling is “retired” and I just want to put on something comfy and relax.

I had heard people saying “Hot Girl Summer”, so naturally I had to look up what that meant. The short of it is that feeling of living your life, unapologetically being you, and having a good time. I can get onboard with that! But usually after I have days like that, I need to rest and take it easy, especially in the winter.

So while the saying, Retired Hot Girl, can have different meanings to different people, to me it is feeling relaxed, comfy, and chill, with lots of laughter. And twining with Afton, in this sweatshirt, fits that bill to the tee.

Pattern – Greenstyle Creations Sav’s Sweatshirt

Fabric – Raspberry Creek Fabrics Bamboo Cotton Spandex Sweatshirt Fleece and Bamboo Cotton Spandex 1×1 Ribbing

You can see more of Afton’s creations on her Instagram and read all about her version on the Raspberry Creek Fabrics Blog.

We used Black and Currant Glitter HTV from 143vinyl.com

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