Anns Cardi - Fini

The Sewing Workshop has just released another wonderful pattern that is my at-the-moment all-time-favorite pattern. Ann's cardigan is comfortable and cozy like a cardigan should be, but with great styling. Features include

• set-in sleeves which give definition to the shoulders
• horizontal seam that creates the illusion of a (high) waistline
• lower front drape
• graceful folds around the neck that frame the face

The pattern arrived on New Year's Eve and so I raided my stash on New Year's Day. Nothing was really singing in there. I had this failed project - the wrap jacket from Christine Jonson's Travel Trio One - one that I had tossed into my sewing closet. That pattern, by the way, is worth the price just for the fabulous pants and t-shirt, but the wrap jacket is not a good look on me.

So I cut up the wrap jacket, retrieved the remnants also stuffed in the closet and set about to cut out Ann's cardigan. This is a novelty knit, probably with some rayon and polyester. One side is a flat tweed; the other is a cozy, fleecy animal print. Because this fabric has 4-way stretch, it was forgiving of some sins against the grain, but I still had to piece the sleeves, and the front band.

The sleeves ended up with cuffs, easy-peasy. But piecing the front band in three pieces necessitated a more significant change in the design. The front band is supposed to finish as a single layer, about 8 inches wide. The pieced seams on the front band don't show much at all when the plush (animal-like print) side is used as the right side, but visible inside seams would have detracted from the resulting garment. So I folded the band back on itself, wrong sides together, and stitched in the ditch. 

The result is still a fairly modest change in the overall design. In sum, this is a great layering piece. I may try the tank top when it's not so cold here, but the star is the cardigan anyway, I think.