by Mary Cheddie
Have you seen Greenstyle's new Bianca? It is divine!!! While so many are experiencing a very harsh winter, here in SW Florida, we are chilly but not nearly as cold as the rest of the country.
I was thrilled to be chosen to test the Bianca Pullover! This is such a great, versatile pattern with so many wonderful GreenstyleCreations options; but all are long sleeve. As soon as I saw this pattern, I began dreaming about a sleeveless Bianca. During testing I made three Bianca’s: a gray floral hoodie with a kangaroo pocket (this pocket is so sweet), a yellow funnel neck with pockets and my favorite red coverstitching, and an amazing GreenstyleCreations Heavy ABP in Deep Ocean (you need to seriously buy this fabric) funnel neck.
Then…..it was time to hack! The testing group came up with more than three dozen hack ideas; all of which were great (what an amazing group of testers)! My simple and easy hack was to just make the Bianca sleeveless. I loved the gray flannel hoodie with kangaroo pocket so much, I used the rest of my gray floral French terry fabric to embark on a sleeveless journey.
Going sleeveless……well, would I add a band? Would I add a couple of inches? Would I just turn the edges in and stitch? My awesome hubby and I debated this for a few days! Remember, I said simple and easy…..so turning the edges and stitch won out!
Let’s get started!
Follow the pattern directions until it is time to stitch the sleeves to the armscye. Since there is no sleeve; sew the side seams (front to back – both sides).
Once you have stitched the side seams, you are ready to finish the edges.
Turn the edges in about 3/8” (the seam allowance on the pattern) and clip/pin.
Stitch the clipped/pin edges. Note the stitching on the right side of the fabric will be your finishing look. I chose to coverstitch. If you don’t have a coverstitch machine, just top stitch. Depending on your fabric, you may need to use a stretch stitch setting.
Here’s my finished edge! Sweet!!! Complete the pattern following the rest of the directions: neckband, hood, funnel neck, waistband, waist drawstring band, or no band. Then try on and share your pics in the GreenstyleCreations Facebook group!
The sleeveless Bianca is great for SW Florida weather….but wait, there’s more! You can wear a long sleeve tee underneath, you could make a swim cover-up, you could add on a skirt and make a dress/ beach dress. The sky is truly the limit!
