Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you are all having a nice zen prelude to the holidays. Meanwhile, I'm in my usual last minute chaotic state before we pack up and take off to see my folks for Christmas. Before I leave, I wanted to let you know that the shop will be closed December 20 - 27th. I was going to have a holiday sale but then decided that I don't want to worry about anything while I'm on vacation so...I'm letting you know that I will be having a 3-day Holiday sale after Christmas. December 29th - 31st, all patterns in the shop will be 20% off withcode CHEERS20. In the meantime, if you order paper patterns from now until the 27th, they won't be shipped until the 28th. Also, if you have any questions I may or may not have an internet connection so be warned that answers may be delayed until the 28th as well.
And now back to selfish sewing. I haven't blogged in a while and have been meaning to. I made this Jenna Cardi by Muse Patterns a few months ago and was planning a nice holiday special blog about it however, I didn't get around to finding the right buttons for it until just the other day. I originally envisioned it for a Christmas party with glass, sparkly buttons. I later changed my mind because 1. I didn't go to any Christmas parties this year other than a very casual and informal one and 2. I know that if I dazzle this cardi up too much, I won't wear it on a day to day basis. So... I opted for some pretty boring buttons but kept it looking classic.
I apologize for the over exposed photos. It wasn't a good photo day and so I really had to lighten up my dark photos in order to see the true color and detail of the sweater.
I had been wanting a classic kind of retro 50's style fitted sweater cardigan for a while. They are nice to wear over shirts and blouses or by themselves. I used to have a pink angora one in Junior High school that I wish I still had today. I saw the Muse pattern and it brought back the pink cardigan memories. And, when I saw this brown fuzzy Italian wool at Fabric Depot, I knew it was the right fabric for the cardigan I wanted - reminiscent of that Jr High sweater. This fabric was so great to work with. It has really high stretch but even better recovery. I thought it might be too stretchy however, it was very stable in fact, it's a little thick and stiff and made the cardigan a little more like a jacket than a sweater but the stretch allows for a tight, close fit and I can push up my sleeves they way I like to do.
Here is a close up to try to show the soft, hairy texture of the fabric.
The pattern is great! It offers different lengths, necklines and sleeves. I originally cut out the longer version because I didn't want it as cropped as the short version. I later changed my mind and shortened it by about 1.5" (I think as my memory isn't the best). I made the jewel neckline version and it all turned out perfectly - I couldn't be happier unless, I found some amazing buttons. I can always change those later though.
Well, I'll be wearing this sweater a lot during these snowy holidays. I hope you all have wonderful plans. This is my final 2016 post so I'll catch you in 2017!