I think, when I'm not at work, cardigans are probably what I wear 90% of the time. (well, cardigans layered over PJs. Am I the only person who changes into pajamas the minute I get home?)
I've been seeing a bunch of pretty draped cardigans around, but I haven't found any that I love.
Until I saw Katy (who has this incredibly understated and elegant aesthetic) from No Big Dill's tutorial for luvinthemommyhood. I knew I had to give it a try. Love the finished product :)
I love the neckline crossed over and pinned. Sophisticated, but still incredibly comfy. Or...
Open and breezy.
Last night I wore it open with a skinny belt.
But I left the belt at my sister's house.
Uh-oh.
Also, those skinny belts aren't the most comfortable. At least when I sat down I didn't think so... maybe it's time to buy a bigger belt :)
(also, what in the world kind of pose is that that I'm making?? I think I may have to start cropping my head out of every picture.)
But I left the belt at my sister's house.
Uh-oh.
Also, those skinny belts aren't the most comfortable. At least when I sat down I didn't think so... maybe it's time to buy a bigger belt :)
(also, what in the world kind of pose is that that I'm making?? I think I may have to start cropping my head out of every picture.)
Some How-To Advice for this Project
I am a bit of a completely hasty sewer. I tend to skim directions and almost always jump right in and then regret it after I screw up something major.
So a few things to be wary of if you decide to make one of your own...
I am a
So a few things to be wary of if you decide to make one of your own...
1. The shoulder seams are sewn wrong sides together, then top-stitched down against the garment. It makes a beautiful finish. Here's the part I missed: Top stitch down first, then trim the seams down to 3/8 inches. One of my shoulder seams has some really wonky stitching because I trimmed then top stitched.
2. The decorative thread for top-stitching is a bear to work with. I have a sewing machine that is incredibly temperamental with cheap and/or fancy thread. It kept breaking and fraying and clogging up the works.
3. The entire garment is NOT sewn with all seams on the outside. Only the shoulder. I did the whole thing minus the sleeves with the outside seams, then decided that was far too much decorative stitching. I ripped the entire thing apart and re-sewed.
4. This is really an easy project! Knits really are forgiving, and even with my seam snafu, it probably took me about 2 hours to draft the pattern, cut, and sew. Then rip apart (sigh.) and re-sew.
10 comments:
Super cute!
This is beautiful and so versatile!
Oh my gosh!!! So fabulous! You did such a great job and your tips were super helpful, I need to make this for myself still!
Oh, and the jeans - super comfy, super stretchy but with no sag anywhere! it's a miracle! at least in my case the only place there was stretch was the waist and that's where i needed it. overall super comfy!
Fantastic job!! You know my machine does just fine with finer/fancy thread, but gets really touchy with heavy duty thread. Isn't it funny how even sewing machines have personalities? I'm so pleased that you like it. I bought some more fabric in brown to make me another one ;) Thanks for sharing.
Your Billy looks great! My machine was mad at me with the decorative thread too but it's so pretty. sigh. You should totally make a little one- it goes even faster the second time around, plus it's littler. :) PS- I completely agree with the switching to pjs.
Loving the look of it. The only thing that I probably would not like that much - I would need it to be able to close. Without the pin I mean. Maybe one could sew a wide fabric belt or something *thinking*
I have never been a fan of thin belts. ;-)
Will keep this post and think about it ...
Thanks for sharing this. (And I do love to wear PJs, too. :-) However they are often too cold.)
I like it a lot. I think i´m gonna try one, but I don´t sew that good and my sewing machine is so simple, I don´t know if it will work with that kind of fabric. Anyway I´ll try. Thank you!!
It's so pretty. Thanks for the tips and it's great to know that it can be done in a couple of hours :)
@Emily - I've already made another, and I've got fabric to make the little girl one, too. Thanks for encouragement!
@Ms. Muffin - sometimes the pin closure does get on my nerves. I've been playing around with the idea of buttons or ties, similar to how a wrap dress is engineered. Have to play around with it some more.
@pinkfiktion - you can totally do this on a simple machine. My machine is definitely entry level, and the only issue I have is w/the decorative thread.
@oppurtunityknits - I made a second one, and it went even faster. The pattern drafting is what took so long the first time. The second one took me an hour, maybe. Super fast b/c there is basically no finishing needed on the garment.
Love this cardi! Just curious as to what you did with the shoulder cap seam allowance; did you trim it down before sewing the sleeve/side together?Lay it open? Thank you
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