Another day, another StyleARC pattern.  That’s what it is like here at the moment!  I’m enjoying trying out these patterns.  I first pulled out the Nina Cardigan pattern when I realised that I might need an extra layer to wear to SewcieTea.

This rendition is made in a loose weave knit from – yes, you guessed it, the Darn Cheap Fabrics $2 per metre table. It’s a fairly open weave, so is extremely drapey and quite sheer. Because it was assembled on the overlocker, the fabric didn’t really present any problems until I needed to hem it. A bit more difficult.

I went with the instruction suggestion and finished off the edges with the rolled hem stitch on my overlocker. It worked rather well, other than at the beginning and end of each seam, where the overlocker pulled the edges in all sorts of directions. I need to practice more on some scraps before doing this again. But otherwise, the resulting lettuce edge is rather nice, and it was the perfect easy extra layer that I was looking for. Although I need to shorten the sleeves before I wear it next – which will give me another opportunity to improve my rolled hem skills.

I made this in size 12, and it looks a little large to me. There is nice shaping in the jacket seams, so it’s not a sack, but in the loose knit it could have been a size smaller. It fits much more nicely in this bright green ponte (also from Darn Cheap Fabrics, but not the $2 per metre table).

Wow, you can tell that these photos were taken quickly at the end of the working day, with the dazed and confused expression on my face and hair damp from the rain. Anyway, the seaming is more evident in these photos. Lovely shaping, and easy assembly.

Although it’s a bit crumpled after twelve hours wear, you can get a much better idea of the fit this time. Not sure about those armhole wrinkles though – I’ll think about how to eliminate them next time I make this. Although as you can tell, each version turns out a little differently to the previous one depending on the fabric used. Once again, I finished the edges with the rolled hem stitch on the overlocker, but remembered to practice a little more and play with the differential feed settings first. The stability of this fabric also helped with a smooth edge. Sleeve hems were turned and top-stitched with the twin needle.

This is a cardigan that can be made in about two hours, including cutting out time. No darts, no gathers, no pleats. All the pieces fit together perfectly, and when constructed on the overlocker it is very fast. I’m going to make it again in some grey viscose jersey that I have in stash. It will be interesting to see how it works out and fits in a fabric that is between the weight of these two!