Cropped Blackwood Jacket

This is one of those instances where the garment told me what it wanted to be as I was going along.



I had set out to make a Blackwood Cardigan (the shorter length) out of this wool/cotton/lycra jersey that has been in my stash for a couple of years.  Like on my last few Blackwoods, I cut a Medium shoulder, grading out to the XL under the armscye.  I also added about 3/8" to the sides of the sleeves at the armscye, tapering to nothing at the elbow.  As it turns out, this was not enough room in the sleeves for this fabric.  The perils of working with knits that have varying stretch percentages ...

Also, I think I really just need to redraft my sleeve pattern piece with a 1" - maybe 1.25" full bicep adjustment.

When I went to put the bottom band on, it was somehow slightly shorter than the hem of the bodice, and it puckered strangely.  I cut it off and was getting ready to cut a second band and reattach, when it occurred to me to leave the cardigan short.  I ended up hemming it up 1/2", and then cutting my neckband to size.

The lack of drape of the fabric means that the garment has more structure and functions more like a little jacket than a cardigan.  I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, though I'd like a bit more room in the sleeve.  I have enough fabric left to recut three-quarter length sleeves, and I might do that later.

I'd call this a quasi-successful garment. I love it in theory and can think of a great many garments in my closet that I'd like to pair it with - but I just don't think it looks great on me. I probably need to do some more wardrobe experimentation.

Thanks for reading, and see you next time!