Pages

Monday, October 19, 2015

Sweater Knit Cardigan

Another assignment from my Patternmaking for Knits class was to draft a pattern for a cardigan type of garment for a sweater knit.  The draft was to have no side seam.  I always need some type of shaping because I am busty but in this case, I nevertheless thought I had a chance for a successful garment because we could choose any type of fabric we wanted as long as it was a sweater knit.



I had a beautiful very loose weave brown fabric in my stash I thought would work for this assignment.  Since the fabric was so incredibly forgiving, I did not have the dreaded fold at the side where the fabric wants to become a dart:



And this time, I was able to draft the back smaller than the front so I do not have any excess fabric in the back:



Because it was a loose weave fabric, the edges frayed like crazy when cut.  I decided to adhere fusible tape to all of the cut edges before removing the fabric from the pattern which prevented the fabric from unraveling as I worked with it.



I went to Pacific Trim in New York City (38th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues) and purchased a separating zipper which they cut to size.  They have a selection of zipper pulls so I had them replace the regular zipper pull with a circular one.  I love it!



I asked them to give me the left over zipper which I used as trim on the pockets.  Given the loose weave and thickness of the fabric, I decided to attach the pockets by hand so as to prevent distortion.



Since the fabric is thick, I was not able to use the same fabric for the undercollar.  I instead used ponte fabric for the undercollar.  Ponte is a stable fabric but it still has some give to it.  The stability of the ponte would prevent the collar from stretching out of shape but it still had enough give to work with the knit fashion fabric of the top collar.  To make sure the ponte stayed out of sight and underneath the collar, I used a pick stitch all around the edges to keep it under control.




I initially wanted to attach the collar as I usually do, attaching the undercollar to the neckline and then  folding under the top collar cut edge over the seam line and slip stitching it closed.  Unfortunately, the thickness of the fabric would produce too much bulk.  Instead of folding under the top collar, I just topstitched it in place and used a strip of Petersham ribbon to cover the raw edges.  I like how it looks and it has the added bonus of adding some stability over the neckline.



This was the first weekend here in the Northeastern U.S. that felt really cold so this sweater knit cardigan is just what I need right now.  It is very warm and comfortable.

Happy Sewing!

22 comments:

  1. Wow!!! It looks AMAZING and soooo RTW!! The fit is awesome too! Love that you asked for the leftover zipper to use as trim--such a neat detail. WANT.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Kyle. I am very happy with the fit too!

      Delete
  2. This is amazing and some useful tips in your write up too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I am glad you find the tips useful.

      Delete
  3. The fit is amazing. How you did this without darts or seams just blows me away. The sweater looks so comfy cozy, one of those that will keep you warm for years. Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Bunny! I thought I would get a good result with this fabric but I was stunned to discover how well the seamless side seam turned out. It truly is the forgiving fabric that is doing all of the magic here!

      Delete
  4. This is absolutely fabulous! Love what you did with the excess zip on the pockets and what a great idea to use fusible tape on all the edges after cutting. Perhaps I might be lucky enough to see you wearing this for real in January...!! Havent forgotten to email you.. its on my to-do list :) x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Dawn! Yes, that fusible tape was a lifesaver. Hmmm....I may wear this in January then. Email me when you can. There is plenty of time before January.

      Delete
  5. Beautiful! Love the zipper trim on the pockets! The colour suits you very well too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Virginie! I don't have much browns in my wardrobe but I am considering using this color more often.

      Delete
  6. This looks so comfy and cosy! I would wear this non-stop. I'm so envious of the fabric and haberdashery stores you have there. The brown knit is gorgeous and that zip! I wouldn't have thought of using a zip as a trim and it looks amazing :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Carolyn! Yes, I do feel lucky to have the NYC fabric stores almost in my back yard.

      Delete
  7. You look very comfy in this cardigan. You were very creative with using the extra zip on the pocket etc.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is a very cute sweater. It fits the girls fabulously. I love your use of the zipper on the pockets. Looks expensive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Denise. Yes, I am most happy with the fit.

      Delete
  9. Tomasa, I want one. I simply love the details of the cozy cardi.

    ReplyDelete