Saturday, September 10, 2016

#SewingDares - Cardigan

It must be the weather, but when I read Gillian's post  on #SewingDares - Its' back! I thought why not and it might just be what I need to get my sewing mojo back.

I did wonder what Gillian would come up with for me and I must say I was very happy with the dare that Gillian has given me:

You mentioned needing more layering pieces in your wardrobe, so I dare you to sew a drapey cardigan and/or long-sleeved tee!

The best part of the dare is that there is no time frame but I did want some winter layers/tops so that did make me focus on it a lot quicker.

I do have a drapey cardigan that I sewed back in January and at this stage I don't need another one, but after seeing all the long cardigans about this year, I thought this would be an excellent alternative.
 
I purchased this fabric back in 2004 at Martin and Savage Textiles during an ASG Industry Day and it has been quietly maturing in my stash.


What I wanted was:
  • Cardigan to be open e.g. no closures
  • Length to fingertips
I then figured out that my TNT t-shirt pattern KS 3740 would be perfect with some length added.

Pattern changes:
  • added 18cm in length
  • full bicep adjustment on sleeves of 1.5cm (eventually)
The rib in this fabric is quite distinctive so I cut it in single layers to make sure they were straight.

I did wonder how I was going to finish the edges as I didn't want a band as the fabric was too thick for that option.

This fabric looks brown, but when I auditioned various bias tapes, it looked a lot happier with olive.

Now this cardigan was started back in May and was up to the binding, but the sleeves were too tight, as I hadn't done the Full Bicep Adjustment then :( and they were 4 thread overlocked in place, and it has been sitting in the too hard corner since then.

Thankfully I had enough fabric to re-cut the sleeves so that was a relief.

Then last weekend a group of us from Pattern Review got together in Brisbane for a weekend of sewing and this cardigan was one of the items I worked on.

Luckily for me, my sister has much better eyesight and very generously unpicked the 4 thread overlock so I could add my new sleeves.

Then I started to scratch my head about the bindings when Skye, who was sitting next to me, suggested I just turn the edges under and Coverstitch!  Why do I over think things!  

To finish the edges for the Coverstitch I added some interfacing:
  • Neck edge - Formband  colour charcoal
  • Front edges - Edge Tape colour charcoal which I cut into 1cm strips.
I am very happy with the result as this cardigan tends to float about as I walk and the bound edge would have been a lot more noticeable.


I did add some bias for the sleeve hems.


Here is how I wore it to work last Friday.






I think it will be a great layering piece until the weather warms up.


******************
2016 Stash Out: 10.2 m
2016 Stash In: 18 m

12 comments:

Summer Flies said...

Oh it's really lovely and a really useful piece. I love the rib knit too. Reminds me of a jumper I used to love years ago. I hope we gave you good weather for your sewing weekend... this weekend it's been pouring rain!

Nancy said...

Make one another foot longer and wear it with jeans. Great look on you.

Nancy said...

Make one another foot longer and wear it with jeans. Great look on you.

Vicki said...

Great layering piece! Good job too in getting it out of the too hard pile into the wardrobe :)

Sue said...

Perfect length Sharon - love it! So sorry I couldn't catch up with you at the SDU week-end. :(

Anonymous said...

I love the idea of a sewing dare! Your cardigan is perfect in every way, and it suits you brilliantly.

Sarah Liz said...

A sewing dare! I hope it helped the mojo. I have been wondering if all is okay with you in your everyday life. Great cardigan - and yes, you have needed to replace the one that had the mishap. Hope you are able to sew more soon.

AllisonC said...

Looks great, and very you. The finishing treatment for the neck looks perfect, I agree we can definitely overthink these things sometimes!

BeaJay said...

You "do" cardigans beautifully and this is no exception. Looks great and I love the fabric.

Gail said...

Where did you find rib knit? Love your cardigan and the idea of the sewing dare is kind of fun.

Rhonda Buss said...

What a fabulous cardigan!

SewRuthie said...

That looks really good. Thamks for sharing the edge finishes.