Discovering a pattern that is just your style is pure gold. I have a few and have just added a new one to the collection.
Winter just got a whole lot better 
After browsing through a stack of Christmas catalogs during the holidays, I was convinced I needed a pair of patterned leggings and ordered Mood Fabric’s ultra soft black wool knit with orchid pink medallions. Opening the box of fabric long after the catalogs were thrown away brought me back to reality and I reassessed.
The leggings would be cute if I was 10 or on a Scandinavian vacation….. but I couldn’t pull it off in South Carolina.
In the midst of my recent sewing room organization project, I rediscovered the piece of double faced knit purchased on a whim at JoAnn’s in the fall of 2016. The Blackwood Cardigan pattern by Helen’s Closet had been downloaded on the computer for months, and somehow, in the thick of it all, a sweater was born.
As I studied the pattern illustration I noticed several opportunities to customize the pattern, and having no real plan allowed me to experiment with the whimsical fabric.
I used the stripes for the bodice and the dots for the cuffs & bands. It’s fun and perfect for a Saturday afternoon!
Aside from omitting the pockets, shortening the lower band by 2″ was my only change to the pattern. Keeping the contrast front and lower band the same size nicely framed the bodice and resulted in a better proportion for me.
But once wasn’t enough!
As soon as I completed the cardigan I knew exactly what to do with the wonderful wool medallion knit 
(Mood Fabrics also sells this lovely knit in black with a green medallion.)
Again I made a few slight design alterations to let this fabric shine!
The front band and sleeve cuffs were sewn in a contrasting fabric – a black rib knit from Mood. In order to avoid disrupting the medallion pattern, I omitted the lower band and extended the length of the bodice to match the length of the front band. 
The sleeves are designed to be very long and my arms are on the short side. I wanted to keep the length on the sleeve so I shortened the cuff by two inches. I realized the longer sleeve and shorter cuff make my arms look longer so this may become a permanent alteration!
All of the seams (for both cardigans) were finished on the serger.
Since I omitted the lower band, I stabilized the hem by placing a 1″ piece of interfacing directly below the hemline.
The interfacing was serged along the lower edge, turned and machine hemmed.
There’s nothing better for the sewing mojo than an easy pattern with a good fit combined with a fabulous fabric, and with wools like this, bring on the Arctic Blast!
Many thanks to my friend, Julie Starr for insisting I try this award winning pattern ……… and speaking of which I’m delighted to announce that The Tunic Bible received a Best Pattern Award from the Pattern Review website!
We are honored and grateful to the 400,000 members of Pattern Review.com for voting The Tunic Bible as the #1 Best Woven Top Pattern for 2017!! Many thanks to everyone who has supported us on our book journey. We LOVE seeing your tunics. Full blog post listing winners in each category is up on the PR website.
Happy Sewing to All!