So, I’ve finally caught up with the rest of the sewis-sphere and sewn myself the Blackwood Cardigan by Helen’s Closet.

I can’t believe it has taken me so long to sew up such a well-loved pattern.

I must confess that I am writing up this blog post a little while after I sewed my Blackwood Cardigan, so, in order to aid the preparation of this post, I flipped through my little notebook where I make my notes of problems, issues, challenges and random thoughts as I sew.

Cuz, for me, at least, sewing time is definitely one for reflection and mulling over the little details.

I turned to the Blackwood Cardigan entry and I found the following information: my measurements and the words “size 16”.

Yep, that’s it.

I found sewing the Blackwood Cardigan evidently so straightforward and issue-free that I didn’t feel the need to make a single note or observation about it.

Umm, so apologies in advance but there is a distinct possibility that this may not be the most incredibly exciting blog post I’ve ever written.

You know, just in case you read sewing blogs for the no-holds-barred hard-core excitement factor!

Instead of excitement, this is what you get this time: I like it. Fits well. Was easy to sew. Ultimately non-memorable, but that’s a good thing cuz I always remember the projects which are total pains!

My Blackwood Cardigan

So, I’ve already given away the one piece of concrete useful information I had to share about this pattern – my version is a size 16! It’s sewn from the 0-22 size range, which is designed for a B-cup, rather than the 12-30 D-cup range.

My body measurements had me at a 14 at the bust and hips, and between a 16-18 at the waist, a pretty common ratio for me.

The area of fit which I was most worried about was the bicep, so I used the finished arm measurement as the most decisive factor, leading me to sew a size 16. If I were to sew this again in the exact same fabric (it’s not very stretchy), I would probably modify just for a little more room in the problematic bicep area. It is ok, but just!

This is the longer view, view A.

It’s sewn from a quite heavyweight breton stripe jersey that I believe I purchased from The Fabric Store – it’s been in my stash for quite a while so I can’t be sure.

I had been saving that fabric for a body con dress. I’d been wanting to remake the Deer and Doe Givre Dress so that it actually fits my bod at the moment.

But had a sudden change of heart when I discovered that I didn’t have enough of the linen knit that I thought I was going to use for a light summery Blackwood. Yet, despite not having enough fabric, I had such an overwhelming desire to suddenly sew the Blackwood Cardigan, that this one came into existence instead!

I feel that this is one of those sew-rendipity moments because I think it makes a much better cardigan than dress- not least because it’s not super elastic.

What can I say? Some of my sewing projects have extensive forethought and planning.

Others come about because I’d already cut out the pattern and was in the mood for an easy knit project. So, when the initial plan didn’t work out, I opened up the stash and asked my fabrics “which one of you is ready to become a Blackwood Cardigan tonight?”.

What, who doesn’t talk to their fabric stash???

And besides, who wants to wear a bodycon dress these days? Not really my idea of work-from-home dressing.

Cardigans

You know, cardigans are one of those wardrobe items that I’m not particularly confident with.

Does anyone else have cardigan styling issues or did I just somehow miss the memo on how to wear this basic wardrobe item?

I feel that there is a lot that can go wrong. It’s easy to throw an otherwise good outfit off balance with the wrong cardigan, especially since I wear a lot of dresses. Plus, I always want to wear cardigans when the weather is cold (duh!), but never find it comfortable to wear a cardigan with a coat on top.

All of which has led to me not really owning or wearing all that many cardigans!

Although, I did make a good Juniper Cardigan by Jennifer Lauren a few years ago and I think that short cropped cardigan like my black and white one could be useful to revisit – making a new version that is actually my current size! I also have a Driftless Cardigan, but I really didn’t enjoy that project and that cardigan never makes it outside the house – although it is my favourite over-the-top of pyjamas warmer in the winter, so not a total loss.

Anyone else have difficulty figuring out how to really wear cardigans outside of the house? Any tips from cardigan experts out there?

Hopefully I’ll have more luck with this one, it’s definitely lovely enough that it deserves a bit of out-and-about action!

Oh and, finally, a little P.S! If you like to get your blog hits through Bloglovin’, feel free to follow me over there: you can find me here. And you can find me on Instagram here.