McCalls 6996 - A long cardigan at last!

I'm laughing in this pic - I don't usually open a post with shot of this side of a garment. But this cardigan has such a cute skirted back!

Cardigans are perfect for Florida winters and trips to the grocery (I get so cold in there). I have a favorite pattern for short ones, but finding a long cardigan has been hard! I just don't want lots of drapey folds or layered ruffles down my front.

I made View B, which has very nice clean lines, a lovely raised and gathered back neckline, and slim sleeves. The back skirt is slightly flared and beautifully curved right at the waistline.

I sewed a size large in a mini-rib ponte knit from JoAnns. It's almost a sweater knit, very light. The last of my grey fabric - yea! But I might keep this one, I really like it.

A note on sewing: I used the elastic/lightening stitch on all my seams, and cut/serged them to finish. The shoulders are reinforced with twill tape (I don't use elastane - allergy). And the hems are simply turned and topstitched. May I say I love my Juki F600 - it sews knits beautifully. I haven't used steam-a-seam to do hems since I got this machine. And the elastic stitch is perfect. Sigh.
 

My only alteration was to remove a little of the downward slope at the enter front, as shown by my red lines in the line art. The design is a little easier to see on the inside, on Emile:

More pics! I'm also wearing True Bias Hudson pants in black ITY knit - these are like my fuller leg version. They feel like silk, and the poly/rayon knit does not cling to them at all.

Fun project, interesting to sew, and a keeper. Ciao! Coco

Cali Faye Gardenia Dress - 3 times!

Oh, it feels so good to sew and take pictures and write a blog post!!

First, thank you all for the lovely comments on Ashley and Darrin's engagement. They are so excited. And her ring is exquisite :-) The wedding date is now February 21, firm, which is nice. More time to enjoy the engagement feelings and activities.

Gosh, I've been sort of absent for a while. But recovering from being unwell for 6 months has taken some time and lots of rest. But I'm so much better. Feels so good. I'll put a little info on what happened at the end of this post...

Meanwhile, what a super cute dress. I found this on Kollabora, just zipping along looking at projects. And ordered the PDF download right away (there is a version for girls as well). I can't find a line art pic anywhere, so I'll try to describe: the front bodice is two-piece, with a slight sweetheart seam below the neckline and a raised front curve. The back bodice has a dipped curve ending just around the waistline. And the dress has nice 3/4 length sleeves. 

The bust conundrum:

Incredibly for any pattern, this one comes in sizes XXS - XXL - but that is a little misleading :-) The associated bust range is 30" - 39.5".  Whose bust - that of the dress, my bust? What size to use? A clue from Cali Faye: the model's bust is 33.5", and she is wearing a size Small, bust 31.5". OK, I followed suit. My bust is 37.5", so I drafted the size Large, bust 36". And it worked - but I do wish pattern makers could be specific on this point.

(Before I forget, for reference, I'm 5'7 1/2" and wear a size 14/40 just about all the time).

This mid-weight cotton/spandex from Girl Charlee (love, love) is a great weight for this dress. I only made two changes changes on this first version:

• Added an inch to the skirt length. 
• Lowered the curve of the front bodice edge by 1" at center front, cured out to the side seams. It would be great for a baby bump the other way, but IMHO, looks nicer a little lower.

I was very surprised that the bodice, front and back, was long enough for me. I am accustomed to adding 1.5" inches for my height - might be a caution for short waists...

I love this dress! While in JoAnn's ages ago, I found a piece of camo cotton/lycra knit (and haven't seen it since, in the store or online). And I've wanted to sew it ever since Angela of Collected Yarns made her camo maxi in August. Voila!

On this version I removed the sweetheart seam from the front bodice, drafting it as one easy piece, and used elbow length sleeves.

And now it's jingle bells time! Again from Girl Charlee, a cotton/poly knit. 

This was fun. Ciao! Coco

A little info on what kept me down...