Finding your fit for Nest

Part of what makes the Nest Sweatshirt so cozy is its easy-to-wear raglan sleeve and relaxed fit.

The Nest Sweatshirt is easy to fit

But it is worth taking a bit of time before sewing to determine how you would like yours to look. Ease and fit preference are highly personal, and differ from sewist to sewist.

We recommend referring to the finished Hip/Hem measurement as the primary measurement when choosing your size. If making the banded version, View B, some negative or positive ease is fine. If making View A, choose a size with some positive ease, how much depends on your preference. A great way to determine that is to choose a sweater or sweatshirt that you love the fit of and measure the bust and hips, then compare to our finished measurement chart.

The raglan sleeve also allows you some extra flexibility in fit

If you’re in between sizes, you do have the option to blend sizes along the side seam, but you can also embrace a softly folding shoulder and choose the larger size in your personal range. For my Nest, I was between sizes 4 and 6, with body measurements of 34” for my bust, and 35” for my hips. I knew I preferred a little bit less ease and chose the 4. Our tester Carina was between the same sizes and chose the 6. Both of us ended up with the fit we like, and a sweatshirt we will wear all the time.

Many of our testers chose to go up a size for a little extra coziness. Emily, another of our lovely testers, raised the neckline a bit on hers and chose a heavier knit, perfect for outerwear in the fall and early winter. When choosing a size you may also want to consider the stretch and drape of the fabric. A sweater knit will naturally provide more ease, and sizing up might not be necessary, while an interlock or sweat-shirting is a bit more stable and thus you might want a little extra room for coziness.

The Nest is also easy to lengthen or shorten to suit you

Take care to shorten all of the relevant pieces equally, using the lines provided on the pattern sleeves, and on the bodice, lengthening or shortening below the Quilt Block. You can mix and match Views A and B, adding cuffs or a waistband to your quilt block version, or going without for your color-blocked sweatshirt.

Think of the center panel as your canvas, and fill it with whatever you like, from embroidery, to patchwork, to a special piece of fabric, or vintage quilt block. We hope Nest provides scope for the imagination while being a highly wearable piece that can slip into your closet.

We get so excited about Nest because of the potential it provides in comfort, fit, and creativity. Try out a few different styles and fits, create your own block, like testers Ambrosia and Amy, add hand-sewing, or combine views. You might find that you love them all!