The Lisbon Cardigan

So I have a new favourite item of clothing.


The Lisbon Cardigan by Itch to Stitch. (affiliate links)

I rarely get to sew for myself. Which is why I don't mind testing women's patterns. A great excuse to sew for myself.  I'm starting to get my head around women's sizes in the US - although when sewing I always ignore the size numbers, and check what fits my measurements.  For this pattern I made a straight size 6, and the fit was spot on.



And my lovely husband is getting used to my photography instructions. It's rough being at the other end of the lens. And even harder going though photos of yourself (a lot more make it into the recycle bin than when I'm photographing the kids).



So back to the cardigan.

The construction means you can colour-block, and add panels to your heart's content.



I decided to use lace panels in my cardigan. The blue dotted fabric is a french terry that I found in the clearance section of Spotlight (hooray for change of season fabric changeouts).  I had resigned myself to having a solid fabric cardigan, as I'd looked at the lace, but even on special, I was having trouble justifying the cost. On a whim, I popped into the op shop at the end of the road (how cool is it to be able to say that!). And I found a top in a stretchy crochet knit that would work well, brand new, for $8. Some careful holding up to my front confirmed that it should be big enough, and voila, lace panels for my cardigan.

This cardigan is perfect for the weather we're having at the moment (hello Autumn, good to see you finally stopping by). It's pretty light weight, and I can throw it in my bag in case of 'emergencies'.



The buttons line up so nicely, with no pulling across the front. Or you can leave the buttons off - if you're not into buttons (or in a rush).

I was very excited to be able to find knit interfacing at Spotlight without too much drama (I found some tricot in the Legacy interfacing stand if you're trying to find it yourself). I think I'll have to go and stock up.  I'll be the first to admit that my buttonholes on knit fabric are not always the prettiest things. But these turned out beautifully. It also helped that the holes are vertical, so you don't need to deal with a heap of stretching.



The pattern has other options - a cropped length, and 3/4 length sleeves.  So if you mix up the bodice and sleeve lengths, you have 4 cardigans. And even more when you start mixing around fabric combos.  I would show you my first tester version (cropped with 3/4 sleeves), but it's a black and white stripe with the front band not quite matching up, and makes my eye twitch just a little. So it's sitting in timeout for the moment (the fit is great, it's just matching those stripes along the front band that's causing me pain).



Also included in the pattern are instructions for a Hong Kong seam binding. I've seen how some of the other testers were able to use it, and it's pretty schmick. I'm keen to try it out on my next version - a bit of animal print sneaking inside a basic grey cardy anyone - for a professional finish.

The Lisbon Cardigan is available from Itch To Stitch patterns, and is 20% off for the first week of its release.


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