Apple Cardigan The Second

 Apple Cardigan The First happened about two months ago.  It was...not what I wanted.  But!  It held the promise of what I wanted, and the fabric not only still being in stock at Fabric Mart, but also dropped in price, prompted me to order more and try again.

This time, I would make it a size larger.  This time, I would use contrast rib knit for the bands.  And then!  When I had everything laid out, ready to start cutting the fabric, I received a package from a friend with some surprise vintage buttons in it, and one set was perfect for this fabric...if the rest of the project lived up to my expectations.

It did!

I constructed this the same way I made the previous incarnation.

The biggest deviation from the pattern--Simplicity 8951--once again was extending the center fronts slightly and sewing on twill tape to fold to the inside, instead of adding a contrast front band the way the pattern wants (the pattern wants it to be folded, right sides together, and sewn to the center front, then just folded out, leaving the seam allowances fully visible inside.  With all due respect: no.)

I did get a little more attentive to details than normal, and used white thread in the bobbin when sewing the twill tape.  The top thread is a cool pale green that does tend to look nearly white against the bright colors of the print.  I used dark pink in the other apple cardigan, and considered the option of a very yellow light green for this, but I felt like the pale parts of the buttons would make the paler thread work. (I had picked out very yellow green buttons before receiving the surprise vintage buttons, so I would have used the yellow green thread if those had been my only possibility.)

I remembered to tie the button thread on top of the fabric, under the buttons, again, too.  The knots nestle nicely into the grooves of the shanks on these buttons.

Using twill tape also gives a wonderfully sturdy base for the buttonholes and buttons.  I didn't, however, extend the twill tape to the bottom band--I probably could, with some extra folds at the lower edge.  I don't know if it would be any cleaner a finish, but it would be a more stable button situation.

Not that I'll probably ever button it.

I applied the neck and waist bands by sewing one edge of the ribbing to the outside, then folding it to the inside, then folding a seam allowance width under (I did not, as I usually do, press it first, because pressing knits like this can be...futile.)  I thoroughly pinned that folded edge in place, and stitched in the ditch...well...more or less...from the outside, catching that folded edge on the inside.  It's not perfect, but it's also not an exposed seam allowance, so it's good.

I did just fold the cuffs right side together and sew their raw edges to the sleeve raw edges.  Having visible seam allowances there doesn't bother me, because you have to go out of your way to see them when the cardigan is being worn.

I did extend the sleeve length, too--as given, this pattern has a ¾-length sleeve.  Which is cute!  But negates a big reason I want to wear a cardigan (warm arms. all the way to the wrist.)

 I changed my serger thread again, so I could tidy up the seam allowances in here with white thread.

 

I actually made a list of all the things I want to sew in the near future, and noted which of them could be serged with black thread (already in the serger) and which of them could use white, because I knew I wanted to sew some more black skirts.  The number of things that could use white thread was far greater than the number of things that could use black thread, and that was enough to convince me to change it.

Compared to the previous attempt, the neck band fits much better, too, causing no unsightly pulling in the back.

I am happy I was able to try again with this cardigan, and know what to do differently this time.

And now I have several yards of this print left, and, yes, more ideas of what to do with it...