Mini Sew-along - Cosy Cardi

It just so happened, once again, that Margy and I bought the same fabric from Marcy Tilton – an interesting doubleknit. One side features a black/cream tie dye print and the other side is solid black. So we decided to do another little sew along using the fabric.

After washing, this fabric became incredibly soft. It has 2-way stretch and is very stable – it was a delight to sew. Each of us bought 2 yards and each of us was sorry we didn't get more. This fabric screams "cut me on the bias" but it's pretty hard to do much on the bias with only 2 yards.

I decided to make a cardi, similar to the one Ruth made at the beginning of the year. I liked the peplum detail she used. In Ruthie's case, she used New Look 6735, but I decided to use Style Arc's Cosy Cardi, which I believe I received free with an order some months ago.

I did my usual fit alterations for Style Arc:

• FBA, a large-ish dart.
• Narrowed shoulder by 3/4".
• Nipped in the waist a couple inches.
• Shortened the sleeves by 1/2". (I should have shortened by 1", which is typical for me.)

The other changes to achieve the look were:

• Shortened to waist length.
• Added a rectangular "peplum".
• Added a selvedge strip to the bottom of the bodice. (Using the solid black side of the knit.)
• Added a rectangular front band, cut so the stretch goes along the band. Also used the solid black side.
• Cut the sleeves on the bias.
• I finished all of the seams with narrow twill tape.

The result? It's ok. The cardi fits, but it doesn't excite me. The front band is a bit wonky which is, I believe, the result of careless pressing. I will see how much I wear it. I feel like I let the fabric down a bit.

Be sure to check out Margy's beautiful jacket!

StyleArc - Terry Tie Cardi

More pics

To be honest, I bought this pattern against my better judgement. It was in my first order from Style Arc, so I've felt guilty as it languished. I just loved the design, but I was not sure that the style would work on me. And yet, now that it's finished, I think it does. At least I hope so. :)

This cardigan has shoulder tucks and ties to close the front. As designed, the ties are sewn into vertical darts. I changed this detail a bit.

Materials:

• Organic bamboo double-knit in slate blue. 98% bamboo, 2% lycra. As of this writing, they have 46 yards remaining. One side is a small rib and the other is smooth. It is a double fabric - you can actually separate the two fabrics. It is very soft and I machine washed and dried it. It came from the dryer a little worse for wear. I think that this fabric might pill over time, so it might last longer if it's not machine dried. The following pic shows the ribbed side, but I used the smooth side for the cardi, which seemed a bit less distressed. I would almost describe this fabric as a fine sweatering.
  
• Black tricot knit interfacing to reinforce the back neck and the two buttonholes.

Alterations and modifications:

• I started with the size 16. As usual for a size 16 Style Arc pattern, I added a 3" y-shaped FBA. However, this time I did a "normal" FBA, where the fullness extended to the front hem. I did this because I suspected I might need the fullness for the tied front, as my waist is much larger than a size 16 indicates. I think this was the correct decision. I rotated the dart fullness to the shoulder, where it translated into additional tucks.
• I didn't mark the location of the ties when I cut out the cardigan. I knew that if I used the ties, I wouldn't place them where the pattern indicated. Once I had the garment on the body, I decided I liked the fullness gathered at navel height. But I didn't want to use the ties. I liked how it looked when I secured the fullness with a safety pin. When I was talking to Chloe (about something else), I mentioned that I had to figure out another way to secure the draping, and she suggested inserting the tie between two buttonholes. I loved this elegant but simple solution. I put the garment on and marked where I wanted the buttonholes. I reinforced the area with fusible tricot.
• I widened the upper sleeve 1" (1/2" on each side) and tapered that to nothing.
• For the tie, I wanted a thin tie. I cut over 3 yards of fabric from the selvedge. It was approx 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" wide (I didn't measure it.) I sewed 1/4" from the fold for the entire length. I didn't trim the 3/8" raw edges so when I turned the tube inside out, the tube was slightly "stuffed." I trimmed the ends to clean them up and tied them into a knot.
• I didn't hem this, but I might need to if the fabric starts separating on me. To be honest, I used this fabric because I didn't mind if the project was a wadder. Now I want to make it up in some favorite fabrics.

Conclusion

I love this top! It is more flattering than I expected. The gathers at the waist detract from the bust and also detract from the belly. I love the shoulder tucks. I plan to make this again, maybe even several more. :)

Pictures

Knipmode 2/11 - Sleeveless Cardigan

One of the blogs I follow is Fehr Trade. Melissa is a fan of KnipMode magazine, a pattern magazine from the Netherlands. Her review of the February issue finally pushed me into buying my first copy.

KnipMode is similar to Burda. You trace the pattern and add seam allowances. The text is in Dutch, but I was able to translate it using Google translate. The only word I couldn't get a good definition for was "panden", which Google translated to "buildings." So "Stik de schoudernaden van de panden" translated to "Sew the shoulder seams of the buildings." It was good enough, but I am curious what "panden" actually translates to in sewing terms. :)

In the February issue, I was intrigued by a cardigan which was not to Melissa's taste, but I loved the look of it. The most intriguing feature was the pocket design, which looked promising, but I couldn't tell what was going on, exactly.

Line Drawing

One thing I like about KnipMode, is that they show a garment made up in different fabrics and on different women. Here is the same cardigan, shown five ways.

Once I had received the issue, I saw that the pocket is drawn onto the front and back pieces - it's not a separate pattern piece. Several inches below the armhole, the pattern tissue zags 90° away from the body, then tapers back. And it's not really a pocket, it's more of a drape. Now that I have made it, about the most you can put into it is a tissue. But sometimes a tissue is enough. :)

I realized that the models in the magazine are wearing the cardi with the pocket "pushed in". I didn't care for it this way because if your hands are not in the tiny pockets, it just looks as if you hadn't pressed your side seam. I like the pocket "partly" pushed in - maybe the length of a finger, so you can see the soft drape.

Materials:

• Rust on grey double-faced wool blend from Fabric Mart
  
• Coordinating rust & grey stripe double-faced wool blend from Fabric Mart
  

Alterations and Construction Notes

• I cut the largest size - 46 - and performed an FBA. Not because I needed it to close at the front, but I didn't want it to look "skimpy" over the bust.
  
• I made the facing go all around the outer edge. The pattern has a curved facing that ends at the side seams. I drafted a facing for the back hem and made it one giant facing that was sewn to the outside. I also changed the construction order a bit to accommodate this change.
  
• I cut the facing from the coordinating stripe fabric, which I cut as off-grain as possible, and sewed it to the outside edge.
  
• When I had completed the body of the cardigan, I tried it on and my sewing buddies unanimously thought I should leave the sleeves off. So I drafted facings for the armholes, and finished it as a vest.
  
• I flat felled all seams except for the side seam. Flat felling wouldn't work with the funky pocket.
  

I don't usually wear vests or sleeveless layers, but I'm going to give the look a try. I just made the eShrug, which is similar with it's short sleeves. I'm a late-comer to the sleeveless layer party. :)