The Jackson Tee and Pullover is a pattern you’ll be able to use again – as a gender-inclusive pattern, it’s the pattern to get if you’re making handmade wardrobe gifts for friends and family, especially for occasions such as Christmas.
The size range is, as typical of Helen’s Closet, incredibly inclusive; it ranges from 0-34 (31-61″ chest, 24-52″ waist, 33-62″ hip) which is the reason I bought it in the first place; I had originally planned to make an I AM Apollon but the size range (as seems to be the case with many French designers) was limited. I have made a size 20 for Simon.
All views have a classic unisex fit with a slightly dropped shoulder and crew neck; the only work you need to put in to making these sweaters fit, really, is to get the right length. The pattern is drafted for a height of 5’6; to make is shorter or lengthen the pattern, all you need to do is add/remove the difference between your height and the height for which the
pattern was drafted divided by two. I was making the sweater for Simon and he actually likes a little extra length on his clothes so I added an additional inch for his preferred fit. I made exactly the same adjustments for the sleeves – Simon usually fits RTW sleeves a wee bit too short so I added the extra inch here. too. Two lengths are provided for both the tee and pullover so it’s easy to get a perfect version of the Jackson for whoever you are sewing it for, whether it be yourself or someone else.
The pullover version of the pattern features knit bands for the cuffs and the hem that can be sewn in matching ribbing, if desired. This is what I did in my first version; I am going to make a couple more of these sweaters with contrasting rib fabric.
Stretch knits with at least 10% cross-grain stretch are recommended for the Jackson; Cotton jersey, bamboo jersey or modal jersey would be perfect for the tee whereas French terry or sweatshirt fleece work well for the sweater. I made Simon’s in a beautifully soft sweat shirting from 1st for fabrics (who also matched the fabric to the right shade of ribbing, which isn’t all that easy to do online).
As is standard for Helen’s Closets patterns, the instructions are super easy to follow, making this a good starting point for someone who hasn’t sewn with stretch fabrics before but an equally satisfying sew for experienced sewists. It’s also a really quick make, especially when you use the overlocker (which is what I did). It would be very easy to run a few of these off in a day for Christmas gifts. I’ve since made Simon a Christmas sweater from the pattern, too.
