Saturday 21 February 2015

Pattern Review Sew Stylish Sew Along - New Cardigans.


 
Hello ,  these are the initial results of my attempts at following along with the Pattern Review Stylish Sew Along .
Note I am interpreting this as becoming more stylish not being stylish . So believe me these two cardigans are a whole lot better than what they replaced because even I realise that these cardigans are not what you would see on the best dressed lists!

The first cardigan is made from Butterick 3461 ,  a Kathy Ireland Lifestyle Wardrobe pattern from 2002. It is a long line slim fitting cardigan with a V neckline and gentle side seam shaping.It is such a basic pattern that I can't see any reason to but a newer pattern.  The fabric is a white stable  knit with a herringbone pattern. The recommended fabric is a knit with moderate stretch but this worked out fine.
I actually bought and made this pattern when it was first released from a caramel coloured fake suede which was the worst fabric I have ever sewed with even though it looked really good. I'm glad that I have revisited this pattern despite my bad memories . I was so pleased with the end result that I  actually hand stitched all the hems rather than my usual machine hem job  . I think it  looks much better and  I should just consider doing this all the time.


The cream cardigan on the left uses Kwik Sew 2875 which I have made several times but using  the hoodie version and also the great little camisole that comes with it.
I used my paisley embossed fleecy which is really lovely fabric but impossible to photograph . I only had one metre so I was really limited in what I could sew and in the end  this was the only pattern I could use . I actually wanted to make a raglan sleeve windcheater . There are pros and cons to op shop fabric and this is one of them. Finding great material but just not enough of it. From now on I will just have to leave these pieces behind .

Anyway end result is that I got rid of a couple of old cardigans and used some old stash to make replacements- a win-win situation .

The Stylish Sew Along has also inspired my next sewing projects. I am finally going to use some Liberty lawn given to me by a friend 4 years ago and am making up a couple of new tops which will match as well.
I highly recommend reading this sew-along/ discussion  . There are all different sewers , from different parts of the world , with different sewing needs but with the same common goal - trying to lift style game and get out of a rut. Happy Sewing Janine.

7 comments:

  1. I should give cardigan-making a go. I have patterns in my stash but I'm not confident in making button holes in knit fabric. I look forward to see what you make with the Liberty lawn.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I should give cardigan-making a go. I have patterns in my stash but I'm not confident in making button holes in knit fabric. I look forward to see what you make with the Liberty lawn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can use tear away stabiliser and that really makes a big difference . This is a stable knit as well so that also helps.

      Delete
  3. This sounds like a really fun and practical sew-a-long. These are very lovely cardigans, and so nicely made. Can't wait to see how your wardrobe evolves in this sew-s-long.

    I read your post about the rammed earth walls - I know the insulation properties of these are phenomenal. Your builder has done a wonderful job :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovely cardis. Great wardrobe staples. Hopefully it will get cool enough to wear cardis soon.

    ReplyDelete
  5. These are really nice Janine! My machine will not do buttonholes on thick knit :-(

    ReplyDelete

Thankyou for visiting. Please feel free to leave a comment . I am open to any constructive criticism and comments because I love learning and trying to grow in any way possible and enjoy discussions.