Monday, February 8, 2016

Grainline Studio Lark Tee - Cardigan version!



Cascade, waterfall - all those beautiful coats that have been popping up make me so jealous of people who actually have seasons. I want one! red or camel or black. With a scarf and gloves and slouchy knit hat. Can't have everything, so I made a waterfall cardigan.

The Lark Tee


And I got so much help.

I've been lurking the Grainline Studio Lark Tee. It comes with four necklines - scoop, vee, crew, and boat neck. But it's a tee. How many tee shirt patterns do I need?

Apparently one more :-) I convinced myself when I read Jen's (free) tutorial on making a cardigan with the crew neck version of the Lark. I even had suitable fabric at hand, a Maggy London cotton/poly/lycra stripe from Fabric Mart. It's been hanging out in my stash since last May, because the stripe is simply too small for a dress. But this cardigan is perfect - I had to buy the pattern.





Here's Jen wearing her version:

Source 


The Lark Tee is long at 28" or so, which I like since I don't tuck my tops. For her cardigan, Jen took 2.5" off the length of the tee. And I added 3" to mine, because I like to cover my bum.
 

Here's a look at the very simple redrafting of the crew neck pattern:

Source

In typical Grainline Studio style, both the instruction booklet that comes with the Lark, and the tutorial for the cardigan, are beautifully done with clear illustrations and understandable directions.

I pretty much followed the directions, but I ran into difficulty when it came to hemming the neckline and front. The instructions are to turn in the edge 3/4" and topstitch/coverstitch to finish. Aaack! A raw edge inside that would show outside in the cascade. Worse - I simply could not get the fabric to turn in 3/4" around the tight curve at the shoulder seam/back neckline area.

So I fooled around with some scrap fabric, trying for a rolled hem finish. It was OK - but not the nice finish I like.

Finally my coffee kicked in (it was early this morning), and I remembered TwoToast's Sunday blog post  in which  she describes how she finished the edges of her new cascade cardi. Lightbulb moment - what a great approach! I cut 1.5" wide strips of rayon jersey, folded them in half wrong sides together, and attached them to the cardigan, pretty much the same way one would attach a band to a neckline. A little topstitching to keep the bands from rolling out, and done.

It's a little hard to see on black, but here's the outside and inside of part of the band. I really like the way this looks:
 

One note of caution: the sleeves are straight from the tee shirt pattern, so they are slim. I'm wearing a sleeveless Bantam vest under my cardi - I really couldn't get it over a long-sleeved tee very comfortably. It would be easy, though, to widen the sleeve. Also, I sewed the size 10, which matches my measurements. I always cringe mentally when I go down a size, but the pattern is true to its size charts.


I'm glad I made this, it's pretty neat. But I'm not sure it's the best look for me. Maybe with a turtleneck. Or long hair. Or a long necklace. (Or a scarf, mittens, and a knit cap :-) But I scratched my itch to have a waterfall coat, and I still have a wonderful tee shirt pattern to play with in the future. I have another two yards of this fabric, so I'm thinking a crew-neck tee with a cuffed sleeve.


Bye for now! Coco

21 comments:

  1. Ooh, I love it! The stripes are so classy! And I'm thrilled with your edging - it is perfect!

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  2. Wow, Coco! Love your cardigan. It appears very flattering in the pictures. I will have to give it a try.

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  3. I love this! I think it's a great look on you.

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  4. This is a great looking cardi on you!!!Thanks for reviewing here and on PR. What a nice tutorial for the change to the tee pattern. I like the black trim, nice design touch.

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  5. I like yours! I haven't been a fan of many of the waterfall looks, but you've pulled it off.

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  6. So-sew fun and enjoy your creativity to complete the band. Thanks for all the tips and now I know what I will do with the lime green rayon/lycra that has been waiting in the wings for over a year.

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  7. I love this on you, great job.

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  8. Wow. You have been productive!
    The striped cardigan is super flattering and I think you look particularly modelesque.

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  9. Beautiful on you and I love the cardigan.

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  10. Beautiful on you and I love the cardigan.

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  11. I think your waterfall cardi looks really nice on you especially in the striped fabric. Good choice.

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  12. You've been super busy sewing these days. Love the look on you - great job.

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  13. I think it looks great and with your colder weather now you're probably appreciating it more. Thanks for the heads up about making a tee into a waterfall cardi. I love the stripes. I love all things stripy but can't wear them myself due to migraine. It just sets my eyes a whizzing and I'm lost. But I yearn for stripes. I'm sure the leftover stripes will not be leftover for long.

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  14. Great work as always! I would buy this cardigan if it was sold at a store. I love your fabric choice a lot.

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  15. This is fantastic! Thank you for sharing as always. You did a beautiful job. I especially appreciate the detail you've given on finishing the edges. I will definetely come back to this post for reference.

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  16. How fun! I want to make one also. Thanks for the finishing tips...

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  17. It's a wonderful look on you! Try it with a higher neck or mock turtle neck black top underneath. Love, love, love.
    Hope you are doing well. Andrea xo

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  18. This looks great. Thanks for sharing the alterations you did and the finishing advices.

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  19. Love your cardigan I've been wanting to make one and I have stripped material.

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I love it that you came by...and thank you for your comments! Coco