The Warmth of Autumn - A Southern Thang

Those of us who live in the South are very familiar with warm Thanksgivings.  Some of us have been lucky enough to have even worn shorts for Christmas.  This November has had a few sporadic cold days but I wanted to make one last attempt to take advantage of a warm day in 2016. 

I chose to use this stretch lace that I snagged from Fabric Mart for……$2/yard!!

I wanted to do another long cardigan with these autumn colors.  Perfect season for it, right??? 

So to start my vision, I used Simplicity 2262 because it only required two pattern pieces for what I needed (The front and the back.  I was not interested in the collar nor the cuff tab).

The fabric is about 50” wide.  This would not allow me to cut the back on the fold because the sleeves are built into the back pattern piece, so instead, I used two lengths of fabric for the back.  This is not a big deal for me because I prefer having a back seam to use to slim down the top of my garment while allowing more room for the bottom.

I cut the pattern for the XXL size.  I wanted to add some volume to the cardigan but I’m not ready to slash-n-spread into this pattern since I still want to use it for its intended purpose.  So my first cut was the neck edge along the back pattern piece, and then I worked around it.  I knew the neck would have enough room for me so I didn’t need to add anything there.

Next, I turned the pattern at a slight angle, keeping my neck edge lined up. This gave some volume to the back piece.   Later I came back to adjust the volume at the top of the garment after the pieces were sewn together. 

In order to make sure the sleeves were not snug on my arms I cut below the pattern piece.  I realigned the pattern piece with the neck edge to show the difference in the pattern's sleeve and the cut sleeve.  If its too much space, I can always cut fabric off and bring the seams closer to the original pattern line.  

I prefer making things larger to give myself room to play.  Remember, it’s okay to not get it right the first time….as long as you have access to more fabric, it’s not expensive, and its not something like leather where your needle holes will show.

Anyway, back to the show…..

The garment is designed to fall straight down from the shoulder seam.  With that being said, I knew I didn’t want that.  I wanted to cover more of my front, so I added an angle to the front pattern piece (similar to what was done for the back), and I cut the sleeves in the same manner.

After sewing my pieces together, first thing I saw was that I wanted a slightly longer sleeve.  Since I needed to bring in the side seam of the garment, I was able to make room for length.  Plus, I decided against the extra full sleeves.  I like the kimono looking sleeve, but only when the rest of the garment is not as full.  Too much fabric hanging loose around me starts looking like a moo moo.  We are NOT trying to wear a moo moo. 

 So I cut the angle off of the sleeve......

And removed a little over an inch from the side seams and a little more from the arm.....

Final adjustment was to the back seam like I mentioned before.  I added some volume to the back so the garment would flow but I didn't want it to flow from the neck, but instead...fit slightly, then flow out starting around my waist.

And now for the finished look....

This long sheer cardigan allows me to glam up with accessories and feel beautiful while being comfortable.  One of the greatest existing combinations!  A combination that you can always get when you decide to….