Patchwork...Cardigan!

This is the last of the planned patchwork projects, meant to use up scraps and free up storage space.  This one is a departure from the others, because this one uses knits.

I always worry about popping seams on pull-over knit shirts--and I still don't trust my serger to make a full quarter inch two needle seam without breaking the left needle, plus I wanted the ability to press the seam allowances open--so I decided to make a cardigan instead, using Simplicity 8951 (mostly.)

I cut 182 3"/76mm squares, and I used all of them, plus an uncounted number of partial squares to fill in edges and corners.

Almost every one of these knits has appeared on this blog in a previous project (the one that hasn't is from a project that predates the blog.)  That's a lot of projects, and I don't feel like digging up the links right now.  They're back there, somewhere.

And here's how they came together

 

At its core, it's simply more patchwork.  The concessions I made to it being knit were basically using a longer stitch length, skipping serging the edges of every square (since they're not going to fray like the heavy wovens used in the previous patchwork projects), and dealing with the fact that longer stitches will start to fall apart faster where they're cut from the pattern pieces.  I had a Good Idea for dealing with that, though: as soon as I cut the pieces out, I applied a drop of Fray Check to every cut patchwork seam.  It worked well enough that I only had to stitch one single cut seam end back together.

I did deviate from the pattern a bit.

A new approach for me was using twill tape to finish the opening edges and give a sturdy base for the buttons and button holes.

I added roughly a seam allowance width to the center fronts, to (hopefully) make up for the fact that I was not going to add the applied/extended band that the pattern wants, and planned to sew the twill tape on about a quarter inch/6mm in from that edge.

The twill tape had some stripes woven into it, so I aligned the front edge with one stripe, that was about a quarter inch/6mm from the tape's edge, and thoroughly pinned everything in place

Then sewed the edge of the twill tape down from the top, being very careful and hand cranking to get past those pins.

Folding that to the inside created a nicely straight edge

which I proceeded to top stitch.  Excessively.

Here's how it looks from the inside

I was actually surprised how the button holes ended up within those centered stripes, because I did all the marking from the outside.

The buttons are from my stash.  I had initially expected to use my go-to faux horn buttons, but I decided to see what I had in potentially coordinating colors.  I considered a set of green faux horn style buttons, but decided these mauve faux shell buttons (they even have blobs of brown plastic on the back to simulate the outer shell) were appropriately subtly over the top.

My other main deviation was that this pattern wants me to just fold in half and stitch the neck and waist bands, leaving the seam allowances visible, and you know I'm not doing that.

Now, what I did do isn't super refined, either, but it's what I prefer: sewing to the outside, folding and pinning things to the inside, and stitching in the ditch from the outside

I didn't do too bad getting the neck band evenly aligned

 The waist band...well, no-one's going to see this

From the outside it's relatively innocuous

In retrospect, I should have put some interfacing down there.  Maybe I'll remember the next time I make this pattern.

I did also have to patch together the waistband fabric, at the center back, and it still ended up shorter than it should be, but I was determined to use this fabric.

It stretched to fit the lower edge easily, and I can button it with no problems when it's worn, it just draws it in more snugly than the pattern wants.

I made the sleeves longer, too

The new length was determined entirely by what I could eke out with the amount of patches I had, plus what fabric I had left to cut the cuffs, which I attached with a (roughly) quarter inch seam, both to maintain the shape of the squares at the end of the sleeve, and to maximize the length, which turned out very good.

An additional note about the sleeves: when I got to the point of laying out the patches, I decided that I absolutely did not want to deal with either making sure the fabrics on the sleeve cap did not touch the same fabric on the bodice, or with getting the patchwork seams to align with the patchwork seams on the bodice.  I just laid things out the most efficiently and told myself I would not care how badly aligned they ended up.

And then they ended up...probably better than they would have if I had tried to get everything aligned just right

 

 Front and back

 I am appreciative, but still very surprised.

The only squares on which I took the time to make sure the vertical seams were (mostly) straight were the pink rib knits, because those were the most obvious when things were askew

The chintz-style floral squares are two different prints, with mostly different colors, except for the black ground and the mauve, which amused me so much.

I know I could have serged the patchwork seams together and pressed them in opposite directions so they'd line up relatively easily, but I worried that would still add bulk that I wanted to avoid.  That may have been a frivolous concern, but, this is how I did it, so this is how it is.

I did serge the exposed construction seams, as well as cut more of the twill tape in half lengthwise and use that to stabilize the shoulder seams, stitching near the woven edges and serging the cut edges along with the seam allowances.

This is one of those patterns that I keep thinking I should make as-directed (well, minus the way they want the bands applied), and then never do.  Maybe someday.