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Burdastyle cardigan project finshed


Burdastyle lace cardigan

With only two days left to go I finally entered my cardigan in the sweater knit competition today. Phew! I think the end result came pretty close to my original idea, but it’s a wee bit too tight, as this pattern is more like figure hugging top in the sizing and my fabric doesn’t have enough stretch to compensate fully for that. Also I was so strapped for fabric that I had to do the cardigan shorter than I had planned. But at least it is below the waist and this is one of the instances when I’m happy to be only 5.3 (160 cm)!

Burdastyle lace cardigan

I’ve already talked plenty about my process, but I’ll add a few things: Firstly I deviated quite a bit from the original pattern. The main difference is that the Burdastyle pattern has no ribbing at all and is more constructed like a blouse with a button placket and regular hems. The second difference is that I moved all the gathers to the bust, the reason being that my cardigan is substantially shorter and having gathers all the way down simply didn’t work. Another thing is that I used faux buttoning, i.e. the cardigan is closed with sew-on snaps and the buttons are merely there for decoration. The rib was thin and you can’t interface fabric that is stretched out so much, so I decided that this would be the most stress free option. I normally like sewing buttonholes on knits, but only if they are stable and interfaced. If you are curious check out my tutorial on how to sew buttonholes on knits.

Burdastyle lace cardigan

Overall I am happy very about the result and I got to try out a few new things with the ribbing. I just wished that I had checked the finished ease a bit more thoroughly before cutting the fabric. But this is definitely a cardigan in my taste and I can see myself wearing this plenty. You can see my review of the cardigan and look at the impressive and inspiring competition over at Pattern Review’s sweater knit gallery.

8 Comments

  • LisaB
    October 29, 2015 at 7:24 pm

    Johanna, this turned out beautifully! I really like the gathers at the bust and will have to try that on a version myself. The shorter length actually looks quite nice on you. Thanks for sharing so much about the project.

    Reply
    • Johanna
      October 30, 2015 at 6:15 am

      Thank you! Yes I can really recommend this pattern and trying to play around with and see what works for you. Cardigan is such a fun project to make, and a bit different from the usual sewing fare.

      Reply
  • Dilliander
    October 29, 2015 at 8:53 pm

    This is lovely Johanna, the gathers are perfect at the bust and create a softness that is in harmony with the delicate fabric. Thanks for the helpful review.

    Reply
    • Johanna
      October 30, 2015 at 6:16 am

      Thanx! I'm really happy to hear that you found the review helpful

      Reply
  • frifris
    October 30, 2015 at 8:29 pm

    This is a beautiful cardigan! I have earmarked this pattern for a while, but I think your version might finally tip me over into actually sewing it. Beautiful fabric and especially nice with the ribbing (I might have to steal this idea…). And I think it actually looks better with the gathers just over the bust area. Lovely! And you look lovely in it.

    Reply
    • Johanna
      October 31, 2015 at 9:58 am

      Yes I think you should definitely try this pattern, just make sure the fabric has a lot of stretch. I don't think I've ever seen a similar design, and that is always a plus :). And the gathers are easy to move if you want to try that, I used my dress dummy for it, but doing it on the flat will work well too I'm sure.

      Reply
  • Jane
    October 31, 2015 at 12:39 am

    I know as sewists we tend to point out all the things that didn't go quite right but honestly, I think all the changes you made went towards a perfect garment! Love it!

    Reply
    • Johanna
      October 31, 2015 at 10:01 am

      Thank you, yes I am very guilty of this. I don't know why it is so hard to look at the whole picture instead of focusing on the small "faults". But I guess it is ingrained in our quest to always improve and wanting our vision to be fully realized in every tiny detail.

      Reply

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