Long Driftless Cardigan

Hi guys! I made my first Driftless Cardigan (this pattern is from Grainline Studio). I decided to lengthen it since I didn't have any maxi sweaters in my closet. I added 7" to the front and back pieces. I made version B, with the uneven, split hem. This will be perfect for wearing with leggings, though I think also looks good over everything else. 

After I'd cut out the pieces, I realized that the pockets were going to be 7" lower, too, and I regretted my hasty decision. But I sewed it up anyway and I think it turned out just fine.

I used a medium weight, cotton-poly sweater knit from fabric.com, which is now out of stock. I used my serger to sew the whole thing, and slipstitched the neck band in place, as instructed.

I'm so happy with how this turned out, and I definitely plan to make another one at the original length. I usually lengthen the sleeves on tops, but I have some extra length in the sleeves on this one. I won't lengthen them next time. 

Have you made a Driftless cardigan?

Talvikki Sweater

Hi guys, I'm done with my second sewing project from my 2017 sewing goals! 

I finished the first one early, on December 31, 2016. It was the Lottie dress that I wore for New Year's Eve. 

The second one is my Talvikki sweater! I love this one so much and I don't want to wear anything else. It's made from this luxe fleece from Joann.com. It's super soft and cozy. I think I might have enough left to make Hudson pants, too - just to wear around the house!

Here you can see the side vent and that the back is longer than the front.

I added two inches to the length (front and back) since I am tall (5'10"). 

It's good for playing inflatable mini guitars.

The back of the neck looks kind of lumpy. I hadn't noticed that until I saw this photo. Maybe a good pressing would help, but doubt I'll bother, since my hair covers it up anyway.

Here you can see how the neck looks from the side.

My fabric is thick, so I was not able to make the neckline perfectly straight and smooth, but I can't even tell in this photo. I hand-stitched the collar facing down at every dart and at the side-seams, though the instructions only say to tack it down at the side-seams. This fabric is pretty thick and stubborn, so it needed more encouragement to stay down.

I really like the detail of the darts. It makes this sweatshirt special. I also like the higher neckline; it's so cozy, without the suffocation that I can sometimes feel in a turtleneck. 

The vents on the side can let in a breeze, so I'll probably wear a light t-shirt or tank top underneath. My jeans are high-waisted, so you can't see skin through the vent, but the air can still sneak in.

The Talvikki is easy to sew and can take your sweatshirt game up a couple notches. The details make it special and I think with the right fabrics it could go to work at a casual office. It's not just for lounging (but it's pretty good at it). 

Made: Lottie Dress, Scarf, Door Stopper, and Pattern Weights

I managed to finish up one last 2016 sewing project: the Lottie dress from Christine Haynes. I used a metallic linen blend fabric. Can you see any shimmer in these photos? It's pretty sparkly in some lighting; in others it just looks tan.

This is an easy dress to sew and the instructions are clear. I'm sure I will use the pattern again, though I will probably make the neckline a bit lower. I would prefer if it were lower than my clavicle. 

I lengthened the pattern by a couple inches, since I'm 5'10". I usually add some length to any dress, skirt, or pants pattern. 

And here's the best shot of the dress from New Year's Eve:

 I also made a scarf at the very end of the year. I got this Cloudborn yarn from Craftsy, along with giant, size 50 needles! I whipped up this scarf in a few hours:

I used the Eleventh Hour pattern from Purl Soho. It was so fun seeing major progress every few minutes! My kids are obsessed with the giant needles/swords, too. 

It was a great break from sock knitting with size 0 needles, which consists of such tiny stitches and such slow progress. Both are satisfying in their own way, and it might be good for me to keep alternating different types of projects. 

Those giant needles look comical on their own, but next to the size 0 needles, they're super ridiculous.

On New Year's Day, I made this door stopper for our basement. We keep the litter box down there, so we want the cat to have access all the time. The door always seems to get closed by any visitors to our house (do you close doors in other people's houses? I think that's so weird!) or it gets bumped closed by the door from the garage. 

So far this stopper is working well to keep the door cracked open. Willis can stick his paw in the crack and open the door for himself. 

I used some cotton canvas, two thick pony tail elastics, and poly stuffing. I sewed 3.5 sides inside out, sewing right over the elastics, turned the fabric right side out, stuffed the stopper, and slip stitched the last part shut.  

Then I made some cloth pattern weights out of scraps of fabric. I used this free pattern and tutorial from the Tea Rose Home blog. 

It takes a scrap that's about 5" x 5" for each weight. I filled mine with rice. 

I hope I'll be using them this week with the Talvikki sweater pattern. I printed it out but still need to tape it together before I can get started.