Black Megan Longline Cardigan

My wearable muslin of Tessuti's Megan Longline Cardigan has turned out to be one of my most worn me-mades. The fit is great, it's comfortable, the fabric, whilst super cheap, is a great colour and washes and wears so well. Needless to say I was super keen to make another one. In black.

I'm on a bit of budget at the moment so I was super frugal when shopping for fabric. I found this black merino wool/polypropylene fabric at The Fabric Store in Surry Hills for just $8/pm. Bargain. I think it's meant be for "active wear"...but, whatever! You can see from the photo below that one side is more "merino" looking and one looks like...recycled plastic bags.

I sewed the cardi with the merino looking side facing out...as it has a nicer look than the other side. The fabric isn't as nice draping as my first version of this cardigan and it wasn't as easy to press (ie hot iron = melt your fabric). I was also sewing in a bit of a rush as I wanted to finish this all in one go so I could take my overlocker into to be serviced that same day. So I have a black cardigan, just not a lovely black cardigan.

I'm not sure there's much else to say about this make. It's an easy sew and takes a few hours. I didn't slim the sleeves down as I thought I might in my last post. Not sure why, but it means it fits comfortably over longer sleeve tops and dresses. 

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Pattern: "Megan Longline Cardigan" by Tessuti
Size: XL, sewn with 3/8" seam allowance.
Modifications: 1cm added to the width of the neckband piece.
Fabric: Merino wool/polypropylene blend from The Fabric Store in Surry Hills.
Changes for next time: none

Megan Longline Cardigan

When I was in Tessuti's Chatswood store last week I tried on a Megan Longline Cardigan sample that they had made up.  I love seeing sewing patterns made up especially if it "sort of fits" and I can try it on. It helps me decide if the pattern will work for me before all the hard work of sewing the thing!  The cardi I tried on in-store was a Size S, so it was a good assumption that the bigger sizes in the pattern would fit me...and it does! Woot!

I sewed a Size XL...my usual tactic is to sew the biggest size on offer and it usually works. The cardigan fits very well...though of course my right arm/shoulder doesn't feel very comfortable in this...but this is my shoulder's fault (I think I need to figure out what the issue is with my shoulder and how to adjust a pattern for it).

The fabric is from My Hung in Parramatta and is a polyester/spandex blend. It's somewhat stretchy, but next time I want a bit more stretch as I think this will help with the comfort factor. I really want to find some nice fabric in black for my next cardi.

I found this a pretty simple garment to sew and the instructions were pretty good. I didn't feel lost once and only read ahead a few steps at a time to ensure I didn't get myself too confused by reading the whole pattern before I started.

The only change I made to the pattern was to widen the neckband by about 1cm. It's a pretty narrow piece and I just wanted the extra width to ensure the band was easier to handle. I like the way the neckband and hem meet, and mine looks very similar to how the in-store cardi looked. Also happy with my top-stitching...it's pretty neat (and straight) for me.

I wore this cardi to work today -- as shown in the pictures, and I'm super keen to make a black one ASAP! The shape is perfect for winter with skiny pants and boots!  At least I know what fabric I'll be shopping for this weekend!
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Pattern: "Megan Longline Cardigan" by Tessuti
Size: XL, sewn with 3/8" seam allowance.
Modifications: 1cm added to the width of the neckband piece.
Fabric: 92% polyester/8% spandex fabric from My Hung ($6.50/m!!!)
Changes for next time: I might tapper in the sleeves at bit at the wrists as I'm finding them a tad wide.