Sunday, January 15, 2012

My Month of Tops Continues

This has been a busy week in my sewing room. I've finished the set I'll show you today and have cut out three other tops, one of which is almost done.And most of the fabrics have come from my stash!

The first part of the set is this simple turtle neck made from Butterick 3344, one of my all-time favorite patterns



.
The fabric was a piece of stable sweater knit  leftover  from something else and is a really good match for this cardigan.The belt was a recent find at our local second hand store. It's gorgeous and I paid  $2.00.

The second piece is a cardigan.The pattern is B5394       to which I added patch pockets and a self belt.I also added three inches to the length, just because.




The fabric for the cardi is a wool sweater knit which has metallic threads running through it. It's very warm and cozy. I like it but it may look a little like a robe so I forgive you if you think so..But it's just the type of garment I'll reach for often on a cold day like today.

Special steps I took to make this unstable knit workable are as follows.

The knit was quite unstable and a little see through in spots so I knew I had to stabilize the seams. I used clear elastic at the neckline and a sheer  bias stay tape that has memory.( I no longer have the packaging so I can''t tell what kind). I had to trim the tape close to the stitching lines because it tended to show through in spots. Here's a pic.


As for the pockets, I hand stitched them to the sweater. It seemed the only way to make them as subtle as possible.

I didn't interface any part of the cardi. I wanted to keep the integrity of the knit and I'm satisfied with the result.

Here's another look.


It's very cold here in Eastern Canada today and I'm very comfy in my new sweater set.


More pics here.

Hope you had time to sew this weekend.

More later from


10 comments:

Sharon said...

You do look cozy and I have that Butterick pattern and use the cross over, need to look at the other version. I managed to finish one blouse and start another, so a good weekeend for me, although not blogged yet.

Jenny said...

Super cute new sweater set! Butterick 3344 is my absolute favorite knit top pattern. I use it all the time, and it's in tatters now. Time to trace it on cardboard, I think.

Jane M said...

Cozy but so very chic, a terrific combination.

Irene said...

Looks wonderfully warm! (Just right for this time of year.)

Kelley said...

What a great idea to focus on one type of garment for a whole month! I love your cardigan and top. I have that Butterick top pattern and have never made it up. Looks like I should be giving it a go, and soon :-)

pdiddly said...

Lovely set Diana, and thanks for the birthday wishes. I have been using the Jalie pattern for my turtleneck tops and love them.

Judith said...

You have had a blinder in the sewing room this week - certainly set the bar for next week...

gwensews said...

You've been sewing your heart out! Super pieces.

Mrs B said...

i really enjoy your post !!!!!! u really inspire

Gail said...

Cosy cardi. I really like the colour and the interfacing is effective.