Helen's Closet - Blackwood Cardigan

I've not done a lot of sewing this year...for a few reasons.

Firstly, I just don't feel like it. I have enough clothes so making things seems pointless. And then I've lost a bit of weight and in just wanting stuff that fits "right now" I've been shopping for any new things I need (or want) like pants (which I don't tend to sew anyway). For me shopping is still the quickest and easiest way to fill wardrobe gaps. And, perhaps the biggest reason is that back in February our unit was flooded during a great big storm in Sydney. Whilst my sewing area was OK we had to move everything out of the flooded rooms and into the dining room so we could repair the flood damaged rooms...and the dining room is where I sew. We're on the last leg of fixing up the flat with just the study repairs to go...so in 2020 perhaps I'll have sewing space again.

All of that aside I have sewn two versions of the Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan. I've sewn the XXL in the original release (Helen has now also re-released the pattern with a plus-sized option). This first version is made in a stretchy, textured cotton knit from My Hung Fabrics. It was actually a bit big in the sleeves when I finished it so I washed it in hot water and put it the dryer...perfect fit now. 

My second version was sewn up at a Spoolettes sewing day where the chosen pattern for the day was the Blackwood Cardigan. I have had this fabric (from Cabramatta) in my stash for AGES...desperate to make something with it, but what? I've sewn the XXL again and I knew the sleeves would be OK as this fabric has less stretch than the black fabric from my first Blackwood.

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Pattern: Helen's Closet - Blackwood Cardigan 
Size: size XXL
Modifications: none
Fabric: Various from My Hung and from Cabrmatta
Changes for next time: none 

Oslo Cardigan #2

I made this cardigan about a month or so ago but haven't written about it as I don't like it (it's already been donated to charity)...so much meh!

I think the problem is down to bad fabric choice and making a size too big (again). The fabric is a Viscose/Poly/Spandex from Tessuti that I had originally bought for a toile of my Linden Sweaterdress. I decided it wasn't quite right for the dress but would be great for a cardigan. I was wrong.

The fabric is very thick...almost spongy...so the cardigan has no drape. In hindsight this would've been better for a pencil skirt...or a sheath dress (if I wore that sort of thing and/or had a workable pattern for it).

I also really feel that this pattern NEEDS pockets...I wish that Collette had included them with the pattern.

I'm not sure if I'll make this cardigan again. I mean it FITS which is always good; so perhaps I will size down and use a drapier fabric for it if I do decide to go there again.
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Pattern: Oslo Cardigan by Seamwork Magazine
Size: XL with the length left at size 3XL
Modifications: reduced the length of the cuff by half
Fabric: Viscose/Poly/Spandex from Tessuti
Changes for next time: add in some pockets and try it in a more "jumper-like" material. Go down a size

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.

Seamwork Wembley Cardigan

I'm posting this a bit out of order as it was made before Christmas. That aside, I had such high hopes that the Seamwork Wembley Cardigan would fill a large, cardigan-shaped hole in my cupboard, but alas it was not to be. This make is a big fat, ill-fitting fail.

This is the third toile I made of this pattern - the other two ending up in the bin. To be fair, I was sewing this whilst off sick, so I think the other two fails were the fault of my fuzzy brain. This one however, is just ill fitting and not very comfortable to wear. 

I sewed an XL - my standard size in Colette and Seamwork patterns, but I think this is a bit big - as you can see the shoulder seams are falling off my shoulders. The sleeves are also an odd length - not full length, and not 3/4 - just somewhere in no-mans-land, and a very unfaltering and annoying length in my opinion.

I'm having a major issue with the neckband also. I had trouble figuring out how the pattern pieces went together (the instructions were a bit unclear to me at this stage and a better illustration would've helped - or simplier pattern pieces) and I think matching two straight pieces together (at the back of the neckband) would have been easier than what was provided...which I don't have the brain power to explain but seemed unnecessarily complicated. All that aside, the neckband is way too loose and does not sit flat against my neck -- this is the best I can get it to look.

It's a shame this did not work out as the fabric was a nice remnant that I picked up from Tessuti in Surry Hills and it feels really nice to wear. Now that I look at the Seamwork website again alot of my issues are evident in their photos...you just have to really look for them.

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Pattern: Seamwork Wembley Cardigan
Size: XL, sewn with 3/8" seam allowance
Modifications: none
Fabric: Tessuti
Changes for next time: nothing, I won't be making this again

Seamwork's Oslo Cardigan

When we in Melbourne last weekend for Frocktails a few of the Melbourne ladies were lovely enough to chauffeur a few of the out-of-towners around to some Melbourne fabric shops. I was very excited to tag along as I strongly strongly believe (very strongly) that Melbourne's fabric shopping game sh!ts all over Sydney's. Melbourne seems to HAVE so many great fabric shops. We visited Rathdowne, Darn Cheap Fabrics and the Cloth Shop at Ivanhoe.

It was at the famed Darn Cheap Fabric were I picked 2.5m of the fabric below, initially ear-marked for a Lady Skater Dress, but when I got it home I thought perhaps a cardigan might be better for this slightly thicker cotton/poly/spandex mix. The fabric is sort of quilted...with material on the front and back that are stuck together somehow. It's quite cozy and feels lovely to wear.

The Oslo Cardigan is one of the first patterns from Colette's Seamwork Magazine. I don't pay for a magazine subscription (if you do the patterns are free) so this pattern cost me about $6 - pretty cheap really. I bought the pattern AGES ago but bulked at putting the PDF together as it's about 1000 pages long. Like the Colette PDF patterns the page margins are 1" on each side which seems a bit...wasteful. I was sick all of last week however so had plenty of time to stick this thing together *grumble grumble*.

The pattern is an "oversized" cardigan with sleeve cuffs and a collar that goes the entire way from hem to hem. I sewed a size XL leaving the length at the 3XL as I'm tall-ish so didn't want a short short cardigan to wear with skinny pants.  It fits as expected (it fits = YAY) although I am wondering if I could size down next time...the only thing stopping me is that there is quite a big difference between each size - so going down just one size could make it too small.

There's not much to say about this make really. I read through the instructions before starting and referred to them again only when it came to attaching the collar - just to make sure I was getting things right. It was a very easy garment to sew and (for a change) I had no machine troubles so everything went swimmingly.

The pattern piece for the cuff was ridiculously long so I decided to half the length of the cuff, and even then the sleeve is still too long for my liking, but I guess that goes along with the whole "oversize" thing the Oslo has going on. Next time I will stick with my shorter cuff, but take about 1" off the sleeve piece.

The only other change I made to the pattern was to tack down the collar piece as it would not sit flat due to the bulkiness of the fabric and it was making me feel a bit messy and swamped by the garment. I put in a few machine stitches at each hem and at the back of the collar to stop it flipping up and standing at attention. I feel a lot more tidy in this cardigan now and less swapped by how big it is.

Just gotta say though that this cardigan desperately needs pockets -- how would I go about that doing you think - robbing the pockets from the Tessuti Jacket perhaps?

Back view...just for kicks. I think the cardigan does look big in this photo, but again that is the style and in a more drapey, snuggly fabric I think it would be OK? Still cannot decide if should size down or not?

...and side view...you can see how "drop shouldered" this style is...

When I first put this on my thought was "uh-oh, I've made an old man's kimono-style bathrobe" mainly due to the pattern on the fabric and how stiff the fabric makes the collar. That said, I still wore the cardigan out today for lunch and a walk in the park and whilst it is pretty comfortable I'm not sure how I feel about it, or if it's flattering. I had visions of a Metalicus type garment when I bought this fabric but I'm pretty sure I am not challenging Metalicus at all. Hmmm...

Pattern: Oslo Cardigan by Seamwork Magazine
Size: XL with the length left at size 3XL
Modifications: reduced the length of the cuff by half; stitched down the collar at the hem and back neckline to stop it flipping up.
Fabric: Cotton, Poly, Spandex from Darn Cheap Fabric
Changes for next time: add in some pockets and try it in a more "jumper-like" material. Maybe next winter though...