Do you ever choose “palate cleansing” sewing projects? Something that you want to be a nice and simple break between a couple of more involved sewing projects?

I do this all the time and it is often knit projects which end up in this happy buffer zone. That was how this Fibre Mood Luz cardigan, from edition 12 of Fibre Mood magazine came about.

For me, this garment kind of represents the wardrobe change that working from home for extended periods has represented. While I‘ve written elsewhere about struggling a bit to style cardigans effectively, working from home in cooler weather sometimes just requires an additional layer to prevent me from cranking the heat up too high. And enabling me to wear something other than a turtleneck for warmth!

Also, spending less time on a bike commuting has also made cardigans more wearable. Wearing a top plus a cardigan plus a coat can just become so uncomfortable that I tend to skip the cardigan. Also, I’ve always found very long cardigans like this tend to look ridiculous peeking out from the bottom of anything but the very longest of coats.

Now that I’m spending more time at home and therefore worrying less about practicalities like what coat to wear with it to take it outside, I have more flexibility to dress how I truly would like to, unconstrained by pesky realities like the weather and commuting.

All of this means that I’m finding, for the first time ever, that cardigans can serve a useful wardrobe purpose for me in this regard.

My Fibre Mood Luz

My Fibre Mood Luz is a size Large.

I made mine from this gorgeous organic cotton leaf jacquard from Meter Meter. I love the way the texture looks in this fabric – it’s wonderful!

The Fibre Mood Luz definitely filled its aim for me as being a quick sewing pick-me-up. I managed to sew the entire cardigan, including tracing it from the Fibre Mood magazine (so absolutely EVERYTHING!) in the course of one afternoon play date while my son was out of the house.

So, yeah, to a quick sew!

Having said that, speed was probably aided by the fact that I didn’t bother finishing my seams. I didn’t have any matching overlocker thread. And I figured that, in case there are any flashes of the seam allowance visible, they would stand out much more in either white or black than if I just left the seams unfinished.

I’m really happy with the finished result of my Fibre Mood Luz. The lines are minimalist but remain interesting. I really like the collar and the way it sits, disappearing away to nothing halfway down. It also has lovely roomy pockets.

I skipped the optional fabric tie belt because I feel that it is somewhat impossible to add a tie belt to a cardigan of this length and not instantly enter bathrobe territory.

I was also happy that the sleeves are well-sized and generous and, for me, it’s possible to wear a nice solid layer underneath. This is perfect, since I often find upper arms to be an area where I have fit issues.

The only change I would perhaps consider next time would be a split hem at the side seam, just for a bit of extra mobility. Again, it doesn’t inhibit anything since its worn open anyway but I’ve noticed, for example, when climbing on a bike, that a split for a few inches at the side seam might make it even more wearer-friendly.

Apart from this little idea, I really don’t have much to say about Fibre Mood Luz. Expect that I really like it, it was a piece of cake to make and I’ve worn it heaps since I sewed it!

After all, who can resist a bit of mustard yellow cheer during these dark and grey months!

If you want to see more of my sewing adventures, you can find me on Instagram here.