When I first started sewing, I was all about making clothes out of the coolest prints I could find. Now that I’m trying to make a more cohesive wardrobe, I find I’m leaning toward solids. But I still crave that little bit of “cool” since most people (or just me) think solids = boring.
That’s when texture comes into play!
When the Blackwood Cardigan from Helen’s Closet came out, I knew I had to make it right away since it was the cardigan pattern I had been wanting for so long. It’s a slim-fit cardigan for light-to-medium weight knits and it comes in 2 lengths: hitting at your hip or mid-thigh. It’s perfect for layering at the office when it’s 90+ degrees outside but is 60 degrees inside.
But I wanted a cardigan with some oomph, so I thought this Karen Klein Stretch Ivory Crinkle Knit would be perfect to turn a “boring basic” into something more.
The fabric has 2 layers which are sewn together (you can see the stitch line on the wrong side of the fabric in the first picture) and it is easier than you think it would be to sew. The top layer is the crinkle fabric and the bottom is a smooth knit, which makes it easy to feed through a sewing machine or serger. And although you’re sewing 4 layers knit fabric at a time, it’s not very bulky and is a true medium weight knit.
Another great thing about this textured knit is the crinkles aren’t affected by ironing! So steam and iron away… those beautiful crinkles aren’t going anywhere!
Moving on to the pattern – I sewed a medium on top and graded to a large at the hips, using the sizing guide for my measurements. I would suggest just sticking to one size to make the waist-to-hip line smoother. As you can see above, I have little “saddle bags” at the hips which emerged after I attached the bottom band. It’s not enough of an issue to break my heart. I’m still going to wear the heck out of this cardigan!
Have you sewn anything with interesting texture? How was your experience? Please share in the comments! Meanwhile, I’ll be enjoying my new cardigan. 😉
-RED
You can follow more of Rachel’s adventures in sewing and cat wrangling at sewredy.wordpress.com!
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