Summer Floral Blackwood Cardigan

Happy Saturday!

Last weekend Drew and I hosted our first party in our home, and it was a whirlwind. We’ve had multiple projects going on in and outside the house, so just prepping for people coming over was a huge chore. My future sewing space is coming along, our first floor bathroom had a serious facelift, and a gigantic holly bush is finally gone from the front of our house! I am preparing a blog post filled with our projects so far, but today I’m talking apparel!

I wanted a quick sewing project and was browsing through my stash for inspiration, and came across this beautiful knit I picked up in LA last year from Michael Levine Loft. If I remember correctly, I bought a yard and a half, thinking maybe a dress would be fun. To be honest, I didn’t want to mess with linings with this fabric and after leaving it out of sight for a bit, I thought this would actually make a really pretty cardigan. The cut outs add a fun detail, which I rarely see in a colorful knit.

I know, a cardigan in summer? But I LOVE summer. I love the heat and the sunshine, and the past week of heatwave in Jersey has not been any damper on my days. Even though temperatures have been in the 90s-100s, I still get chilled easily, especially when the air conditioners are constantly running (no thanks to Drew!). Because of this, cardigans are a year round staple. I finished my first Blackwood Cardigan a few weeks ago but just got a handsome hand to help with photos (thanks, Drew!). 

I bought the Blackwood Cardigan pattern awhile ago when Helen was having a sale, and it’s been sitting in my stash waiting for fabric. I’ve been meaning to try this pattern and nail down my size and fit, and now was the time!

The pattern was wonderfully made and written and I love the two length options (have you checked out the inspiration on Instagram for this?! #swoonworthy!) I made a size Small, View A and it fits great. I had to shorten the arms a bit since petite body = petite arms, but other than that, no alterations were made.

I serged all my edges before I even started sewing. Since the fabric is decently “see-through” I wanted to be sure the edges weren’t raw. I also omitted the pockets because I didn’t want this breezy cardigan to feel heavy with anything extra. I was also a little concerned with having a bottom band, and even the wrist band because I didn’t want the wrong side of the fabric to show through, but after completing it, I don’t mind the up close look.

A few notes:

I LOVE that this pattern comes in layers. This means that when you are going to print your PDF, you only have to print your size!

This cardigan does not cover as much in front as my store bought ones. This is the style, and it is made for layering, but something to consider if this isn’t your ideal cardigan style.

I can’t wait to make more of these cardigans! This is going to be one of those “staple patterns” that I make a few versions of. Some will probably be pretty basic and boring, but those are going to be my most worn!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!