Named Esme Cardigan (How to Wear a Blanket All Winter Long)

In the winter when I'm cold, there is nothing I want more than to feel cosy - warm and snuggly despite the wind, wrapped in a blanket from neck to knee.

This particular Esme cardigan, made in a heavy double knit (and mostly polyester, I believe) is ridiculously cosy. It's as cosy as some of my coats, but it's also snuggly enough to stay on when I'm lounging around the house or sitting at a desk and working on the computer (unlike my coats).  It's pretty much like wearing a blanket!

I absolutely love it.

Pattern: Esme cardigan by Named Patterns

Fabric: double knit (by which I mean double-layered knit) bought at a crazy sale at Spotlight for next to nothing

Overall: an easy and satisfying sew, slowed down by my need to:

• match the direction of the houndstooth (yes, it's a directional print) and align the horizontals in cutting out 
• align the horizontals in sewing the main seams
• align the direction and horizontals between the button band and the cardigan fronts
• align the print in the pocket openings

I think you can see the pattern alignment / matching between the bands and the cardigan fronts in this flat photo:

And in this next photo you might JUST be able to see that the houndstooth pattern runs down the cardigan fronts right over the pockets without getting out of line :). It doesn't look like my pattern matching on that side seam worked perfectly though:

I made a few changes to the cardigan as I went:

• omitted the interfacing on the band - a conscious decision, because I wanted the band to have the same amount of stretch as the main part of the cardigan, and I knew the fabric was heavy enough that it probably didn't need interfacing. I've seen a few Esme cardigans where the interfaced button band has stretched less than the cardigan body - I'm not sure how you'd avoid this is you interfaced the band, but I'm also not sure why you need the interfacing there when you're not adding closures. 
• omitted interfacing on the pocket openings - not needed with a cut-on pocket.
• cut the pocket bags as part of the cardigan front (one pair of upper cardigan fronts with cut-on pocket bags, and one pair of lower cardigan fronts with cut-on pocket bags).

The pocket bags are recommended to be sewn from a lighter knit, but if you don't mind them being made from the same fabric as the outer cardigan, a cut-on pocket is sleeker. And because the pockets are quite slouchy (more slouchy than they would have been with interfacing, but I suspect they were always going to be somewhat slouchy) the pocket bags are exposed, so a difference in fabrics would have drawn the eye.

Here are a couple more pocket photos - and yes, those pockets were flapping around too much! Right after taking these pictures I tacked the bottom corners of the pockets to the inner layer of my cardigan fronts, and they now don't show.

Notes:

• as drafted this cardigan is super long, and will grow longer in a heavy fabric.  I cut some of the length off, and still have a deep hem. It's definitely drafted for tall women so I'd recommend checking how much of that length you want before cutting out (or buying) your fabric.
• the sleeves are pretty narrow, and significantly narrower than I expected.  Next time around I might make them wider to allow for more layering options - as they are I can only fit a thin merino or cotton layer underneath

Although I love this cardigan and wore it pretty much constantly for a few months after wearing it, I'm not sure if it reads "dressing gown"! What do you think? Does a dressing gown have to have a cord to tie around the waist? I keep thinking of those old fashioned checked flannel gowns!


I haven't shown you the back view yet, have I - from behind it's a very plain and boxy shape:

It took a while for this pattern to grab me - it looked quite boxy in the line drawings (and it is boxy), and I thought I was hankering after a cardigan with a bit more shaping. But as winter progressed I noticed people around me wearing cosy-looking, long boxy cardigans just like Esme, and I realized this sort of cardigan was versatile and practical (and sometimes even stylish).

I'm not convinced mine's particularly stylish, but with its muted grey/cream colours I've been able to pair it reasonably well with a black dress or trousers in the office, and even better with jeans and a merino top or t-shirt at home. No one's pulled me aside and told me to get dressed, though when I've asked a few family members they have agreed it's quite dressing gown-like. 

Hmm... maybe it can be both a cardigan and a gown, depending on what you wear underneath?

Thanks for reading and see you soon!



- Gabrielle xx

Merino Knits

When the cool weather started to hit Sydney, and with Me Made May '12 in mind, I had a bit of a merino splurge at The Fabric Shop in Surry Hills. I did really well - if that's what you call buying heaps - and no regrets for any of my purchases!

My favourite merino make so far is this hoodie, which I am absolutely loving:

 the above photos from day 18 of MMM

This is not getting worn that much because I'm sort of cherishing it! That probably seems crazy for a knit top, but it does have some nice details like
flat felled seams (the first that I've ever knowingly sewn - and I'm very proud of myself to have managed them on such a stretchy fabric),

flat felled merino knit seam from the outside

flat felled merino knit seam from the inside

and interesting neckline details intended for a woven fabric, to which I decided to add some parallel lines of top stitching (boy did I sew those slowly!)

On top of that I count this as a Frankenstein pattern mixing success - it even bridges a few decades :-).



Betsey Jackson pattern for oversized, dropped shoulder, woven tops from the 80s, sitting on top of the pattern pieces I used to make the final hoodie. I based my final draft on the basic shape from an old Burda Style long sleeve t-shirt pattern, adjusted for improved fit using old RTW tops, and then revised to fit the Betsey Jackson hood pattern pieces - which I left pretty much as is excepting the shape on the shoulder seams. 

I wore this top on days 18 and 31 of MMM - it's mentioned in my last MMM post, but it seems I forgot to post anything about days 17-21. Oops.  I doubt I'll get around to a belated post for these 5 days, but you could always go look at my Flickr stream here, or indeed at the entire MMM group Flickr stream here.
 

Thanking Zoe on the last MMM day

---------------------

Before that I made a useful but very plain long sleeved blue top using pattern #108 from issue 2/2009-108 of Burda Style Magazine: 

I described this top in the relevant MMM post - some simple fitting changes, but it's still recognisable as pattern 108.

Although this is not glamorous sewing, this top has proved itself a wardrobe staple already, and I can't remember what I was living in before it! 


---------------------

My third merino make so far is this cardigan, which although very toasty warm represents a bit of a disappointment. I like the fabric but the pattern, V8819 - well, it could have been me, but could also have been the pattern... 

I made view B of the pattern in a size Medium, which apparently means size 12-14. I normally sew a size 12 for Vogue tops, and this sizing is usually pretty good for me, so I expected the cardigan to have some room. 

I think I used the wrong fabric here though - I used a two sided knit (blue on the outside seen here, black on the inside not shown), which I guess is a lot heavier than the summery knits the cardigan was intended for. Be that as it may - and I guess that's a good explanation for the tight arms - it's a lot shorter on that I expected.

Maybe I need to go back and check whether I sewed the wrong length. It could have been me!

Unfortunately even though I like the fabric piecing details on the back, this cardi is not going to get a lot of wear - it's a winter weight but I can only wear it on top of sleeveless tops!
 

There are still two fabrics to go - a rich green lightweight merino knit and a heavier olive merino knit. I have plans for both, and have already made a summer "test" version for one of these plans :-).  As soon as the weather is decent again (it's bucketing rain lately) I'll show you the summer dress and a new skirt too.

See you!