Monday, November 12, 2012

CAbi Knock - Off Ballet Arm Warmers

So you guys know I always go to my friend's CAbi parties and I never buy anything. CAbi clothes are nice and seem to be well made. Many of their tops are cute and they usually have several cute knit tops but they are expensive. I will spring for expensive items here and there (Hello silk fabric!) but overall, I’m pretty frugal. I’d rather make a knit top than spend $50 on one. My second complaint is the fit. Almost nothing fits me. Granted, I’m on the smaller end of things but I’m certainly no size 0. CAbi’s smallest size is 0 and it’s usually too big for me. Can you say vanity sizing? I used to feel bad about going and never buying but the consultant knows my game now and runs over to show me all the new CAbi details each time she sees me at a party now. It’s like our little joke. She appreciates my talents and I appreciate her fashion sense because I have none. None.

Anyway, where was I going with all this? Oh yea. The one item that I knew I needed from their fall collection was the Ballet Arm Warmers. They are for your arms, what Dickeys were for your neck. Remember Dickeys?? They come complete with thumbholes, my favorite part of any jacket and shirt. Remember, I live in Alaska. It’s cold here!

Here’s the CAbi photo from their website. The idea is you can wear them under your dresses, sleeveless blouses, and short-sleeved tops. They also showed them over some of their tanks like this.
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Here they have a vest paired with the arm warmers and it makes it look like a jacket.
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I made two versions for myself this weekend. One version was from a one-yard sample from the San Diego Swap Meet and the black one is the Nike Dri-Fit fabric. I still have it in my Etsy shop). I can’t get away from that fabric. It calls to me for every pattern. This version is a heather brown.
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Thumbholes!!!
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Here are the “tops” under a random t-shirt. You could also wear it like a shrug.
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Here’s the black version. This one was the first version and the sleeves are a bit long. I fixed that on the brown version.
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In a day or two, I’ll show you what I did to make this. It was pretty easy but I did end up scratching my head over a couple thing because the pattern piece looks so weird.

16 comments:

  1. I can hardly wait to see how you did this. Fabulous! I want some!

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  2. Niiice! I could really do with a couple of those here. Ottawa is no way near as cold as Alaska, but we do get down to -35 C or so (that's -31 F). I love the look of those, and I'm keen to see how you made it.

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  3. Cool! I actually knitted one of these a month ago, expecting it to look like a shrug, but it was actually leggings for your arms. I'm glad you showed me some new ways to wear it, and yours are less bulky since they're not made of yarn. Nice job!

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  4. Those look fabulous! I've knitted shrug with this same look, but I love the idea of sewing some up. I'm not yet able to figure out patterns on my own, so I can't wait to hear what you did.

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  5. Those are great! I might want to make one for my DD.

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  6. Those look great,, can't wait to see what you did..

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  7. Yes, please share with us. I spent an hour at work thinking about how to make it. It looks cool.
    Your kids are sooooo cute! I bet they had a fun Halloween.

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  8. These are the cat's pjs! You are so clever! I would really appreciate a show and tell. I am cold all winter, and these would be great for wearing to the cold, drafty gym for workouts. Do tell!

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  9. oh boy, another one waiting to see what you did ! I started to freeze a few weeks ago (not the Montreal weather, just me LOL) and these would be GREAT :-)

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  10. I think my first attempt fell into the internet abyss of nothingness LOL


    Having to started to freeze already (not the Montreal weather, just me !) I can't wait to see how you made these. They look great :-)

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  11. Hi Dawn; wow, very nice! I want me some!! It's all about layers, here in misty,damp NW Oregon. I was gonna figure it out on my own until I got to the end of your post and saw your offer..yes, please!..thanks (in advance) for sharing.

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  12. YAY!!!! We can't wait to see the pattern for this!!!!!!

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  13. Would you make a pair for me????

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  14. I need a knock off Cabi arm warmer. will you start selling them on Etsy again?

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  15. I've never sold them on Etsy. I wrote a tutorial to make your own.

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