Make it work! Tailoring a cardigan

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When I was younger, I would always battle my mother over our essential clothing controversy: whether garments should be loose or tight. Looking back, I’m pretty sure her attempts to get me in more roomy clothing were motivated by her wanting me to look more like an adolescent girl than a lady of the night. Fair enough.

Now that I’m a full-fledged adult (?) I am proud to be in charge of this small matter. As my instincts have told me since I was young, I look better in more fitted clothing. (Mom, you know that Stacy and Clinton have my back on this.)

With this in mind, I recently gave in to my desire to transform a boxy/hangy cardigan I owned to something more form-flattering. I was happy to stumble upon the oh-so-helpful “How to Alter a Wool Sweater” tutorial from Sweet Sassafras (a fellow Oregonian!) I jumped right into the instructions and transformed the piece into something I love in less than an hour.

Notes from this adventure:

  • Pinning a garment while it is on yourself can be dangerous.
  • I am in real need of learning how to use my sewing machine better. I couldn’t finish zigzaging the selvedge because my attempts to reload my bobbin kept resulting in a ridiculous jam…no matter how many times I checked to make sure I was doing everything correctly according the manual. Blah.
  • It was totally worth it to just TRY. I can’t help but love the new shape and am running through everything I own to see if it needs a similar little pick-me-up.

Next steps include fixing the sewing machine, finishing the zigzag, and attempting to make the adorable fabric rose.

Another bonus that came out of this project is that I learned about Colette Patterns (via Sweet Sassafrass) and their foxy Beignet skirt pattern. Once I learn how to sew better, I gotta try it.

Hang with you later,

Linz

 

 

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