StyleARC offered the Abby Cardi as a free pattern with purchase a month or two ago (they have a new free pattern with purchase each month which is then added to their regular pattern selection).  I whipped it up last week in some mystery jersey – probably cotton/viscose/lycra or similar – from the Darn Cheap $2 per metre table.

This was a fast and simple sew. Just three pieces – front, back and sleeves. The front has back collar extensions. I modified construction methods slightly from the instructions. And miracle of miracles, I remembered to take some construction photos, although these are taken at night with a flash.

My first dilemma was choosing a thread colour. This fabric is a weird green/yellow/mustard colour (“baby poo” coloured, according to my husband). I didn’t want to buy more thread especially for this project, because that would have necessitated a trip to the shops and it was well and truly after hours when I started to sew this cardi. I eventually selected from some yellow threads that were in stash – I think I chose the centre one in the above photos. The instructions suggested a babylock hem for the fronts and bottom of the cardi. Because of my thread matching problems, I ended up just leaving them raw. I did hem the sleeves with the same yellow thread I used for some of the construction, and it worked out fine.

I stabilised the shoulder seams by sewing on some stash bias binding remnants that astoundingly were the exact same colour as the fabric! I sewed these just inside the stitching line of the back piece, with the bias binding folded in half lengthwise to stop it stretching much. The back collar extensions (part of the front pattern pieces) were sewn together, then the front shoulder to the back shoulder.

Once the front and back shoulder seams were sewn together, I pinned and sewed the back neck to the collar extensions.

So now the shoulder seams were sewn and the back neck sewn to the collar extensions from the front. Then I deviated from the instructions by using the “burrito method” to sew the front self-facings down and clean finish the back collar and inside neckline. To do this I rolled up the back of the cardi right up to the neck seam, then wrapped the facing around it and pinned it into place.

Then I stitched it down. You can see that there is a little sausage with the jacket rolled up inside it and the seams sewn right sides together, collar to collar and front facings to the shoulder seams. It’s easy to do because you can stitch right on top of the previous stitching lines.

Then I pulled the jacket out through the ends! This photo shows the back collar with centre back seam, and you can see where it angles to form the shoulder seam.

It looks neat on the inside too.

And from there I continued construction as per the instructions, setting the sleeves in the flat on the overlocker, sewing the side and sleeve seams in one pass on the overlocker, and hemming the sleeves with two rows of stitching once I’d stabilised the sleeve hems with double sided fusible Vilene tape (I love that stuff). As I said earlier, I left the cardi hem and front edges raw.

I enjoy this style of Cardi – relaxed but still not super casual. I wore it to work as well – it coordinates beautifully with my Vogue 1250 dress!

It looks good tied at the front, too.

I made this in size 10, and I think it runs pretty true to typical Australian clothing sizing (I’m mostly a 10 in Target/Sussan/Jacqui E clothes, for comparative purposes). Another winner from StyleARC, and for those of you used to sewing from Burda or Ottobre, you should have no problems with the instructions.

I do think that sewing and clothing should be a bit of fun.  The older I get, the more willing I am to try new things.  Is it meant to work that way?  Maybe I’m not as self-conscious now that I’m heading rapidly into my mid-forties.  I ordered the StyleARC Shaza jersey pant pattern a little while ago.  They describe it as “a great stylized pant for the fashion victim”.  It’s very quick and simple to make.  After an hour or two I had a new pair of comfortable pants.

My children laughed furiously when I modelled these for them. The first thing that Clare said was “you’re not going to wear those on the INTERNET are you?”

“Too right I am!” I replied. “And I’m going to wear them to school drop-off and pick-up as well”!

I made the size 10, but as you can see they are rather accommodating! Actually, I still haven’t hemmed them. They were an interesting draft, with six pleats either side of the centre back and the centre front, and inseam side pockets. I used a soft knit that should have been a little slinkier and thinner, and think that these would be a more successful pattern if they were made up in a different fabric. Which I might still do! The biggest problem with them is how to style them, I think – they need a fairly fitted top to deal with all that hip and thigh volume.

Of course, they reminded the whole family of different things. “Clown pants” from the girls. My husband knew better and said nothing, just raised his eyebrows. To me, they are reminiscent of the Papal Swiss Guards I saw when I visited the Vatican many years ago.  But mostly, MC Hammer.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo?rel=0]

When you’re on a good thing, stick to it they say.  I’ve enjoyed New Look 6648 – only a couple of days after finishing view A, I’m done with view B!

This version has a v-neckline and 3/4 length sleeves with elastic zig-zagged along the seamlines to gather them. I’m not sold on the elastic for gathering technique, and will probably unpick this and gather them differently – possibly just with a couple of rows of straight stitching pulled up by hand.

The v-neckline is not all that low, but it is quite wide. Feels rather flashdance, really! I attached the neck binding slightly differently to the instructions, sewing it into a loop and then mitring at the centre front of the V. The resulting binding is a little wavy, especially at the back. It should probably have been shortened a couple of inches. Once again, I may unpick it and shorten it and reattach. Or I may not.

I didn’t have thread that matched exactly for this project. It’s a funny colour, that mustardy yellowish-green, and so I went with a yellow that was in stash that sort of coordinated. I didn’t want a trip to the shops just for one spool of thread! The bottom band is the same for all the views in this pattern. The front and the back pieces are each gathered at the sides, then sewn together into a tube and folded in half wrong sides together before attaching to the top. I did the gathering with straight stitches that I then pulled up to size by hand. You could use elastic instead if you wanted to, I suppose.

I made this in size 12, but possibly could have sized down to a 10. Anyway, I really enjoyed wearing it! I styled it with a tank underneath the next day to better deal with the wide neckline. The batwing sleeves are comfortable to wear, and the fitted ruched waistband seems to hide my pot belly and thick waist while still giving me shape.