Full honesty? I feel a little guilty about this project.
I've been trying really, really hard to work on the breadth of colors I'm wearing because I love wearing colors but I keep ending up in neutrals. In addition to that, my neutrals tend to lean towards the brown end of the spectrum rather than the greys and blacks, so I honestly can't quite tell you what the thought process was that led my fabric-store brain to decide what I really, desperately needed was a black cardigan. There probably were no other colors I liked. I think I was seduced by the stripes. I do like the stripes...
I brought the fabric home, washed it, and intended to make my cardigan immediately. That was about... Four months ago now? The more I looked at it, the more I felt guilty for buying black fabric. It ended up folded up on the bottom of a stash pile, and I'd occasionally give it a death glare when it caught my eye. That said, I bought the fabric because I needed a cardigan and I haven't simply stopped needing a cardigan because of my stubborn color planning failure. Warmth is important! On a whim (on Thursday night after work) I dragged the (conveniently prewashed) fabric out of its hiding spot, and decided I'd feel less guilty about it once it was made up into a garment.
I have what I call a 'cardigan block' - although it's not really. More accurately, it's a base pattern, and it's the foundation on which every self-drafted cardigan I've ever made has been based. It has a good, well fitting, right-length sleeve, roomy pockets, good shoulders and a v-neck front that hits at exactly the right spot. I used that block, added 10" to the length, added about 3" total ease at the hips, and moved my pockets down by 2" as well.
The fabric is a merino french terry with a cute little grey stripe knitted in every 3/4" or so. I made extra-wide cuffs to go with the added body length, so the sleeves are just the right amount of slouchy and I can pull them down over my hands if I get cold. I also decided not to add buttons, partially because I never button my cardigans when I wear them, and partially because I hoped that forcing it to stay open in the front will make this large swishy thing a less consuming amount of black. Besides, I've interfaced the button band so I can always go back later and add them if I change my mind.
It was actually a really quick and fun project to sew, and the whole thing (including pattern alterations and cutting) took about three hours. I'm still a bit irritated at myself because of how very black it is, but it's cosy and warm, useful to wear with my pencil skirt, plus it goes with my jeans. I've decided to make some super colorful shirts to layer with it so that I don't turn end up looking like a navy-on-black-on-charcoal corporate zombie.
This post seems very short especially when compared to the Monthly Draft I posted last time, but such a quick project really only needs a quick post. Next week will come bearing a wedding dress vlog update, if my video editing software cooperates and spits it out in the right format for us! Things in Wedding Dress Land are starting to pick up around here, so stay tuned!