Whipping up this Cher knit sweater was so rewarding. It was quick to make (I was able to do the whole thing on my serger!) and I love the final look. Thankfully I was able to finish it while we still had a bit of cold weather.


I used the Cher knit dress pattern from Style Arc to make this sweater, modifying the pattern slightly by changing the bottom skirt portion of the pattern to a simple waistband. To do this I stood my tape measure on its side and measured the bottom portion of the top. Using this measurement I cut two rectangles 6 inches deep, sewed them together at both short sides (right sides together), and finished the sweater by sewing this band to the bottom of the top portion of the dress (right sides out.) Style Arc's instructions and directional diagram was a breeze to use and easy to modify.


Style Arc describes this design as an "avant-garde" style and I love its architectural design. While I do love this make, it didn't end up being as close of a replicate to Meghan Markle's white sweater as I had hoped. I plan to make it again in a white, lighter weight sweater knit and will bring up the hemline a few inches.

My biggest learning from this make was how important it is to cut pattern pieces on the grainline, ensuring that the stretch of knit garments goes around the body and not vertically, which could cause a heavy garment to pull downward. In patterns like this mis-cutting the fabric can make it very difficult your head through the small neck hole. I would know!




I get a lot of compliments wearing this sweater and always feel great wearing it. I will certainly be making more versions in the future!

Time estimate: 3 hours
Size: 8
Fabric used: Fuzzy Gray and White Chunky Wool Knit, wool blend, 1.5 yards
Care instructions: dry-clean for best results

Cost to make:
Cher Knit Dress Pattern and Shipping: $16.50
Fuzzy Gray and White Chunky Wool Knit: 1.5 yards, $40.50
*used thread from my stash
TOTAL: $57.00

I am so excited to share my Blackwood cardigan from Helen's Closet with you. It was my first home run of the sewing season and will be perfect for the spring weather headed our way. I can't wait to make another version or two!

I purchased white, double sided brushed dty jersey from Mood to make this cardigan and love how soft it is. This was the first indie pattern I've purchased and the also the first .pdf pattern I've assembled. One of the benefits of using a .pdf pattern was the ability to turn off other sizes and print only my desired size. I can't seem to make myself cut down tissue paper patterns to my size so this was fun to try. On the other hand I didn't love having to print out, piece together, and tape the .pdf pattern. It took a fair amount of extra time not to mention additional overhead. And I'm still working on how to best store my .pdf patterns once they have been assembled.



I cut out this cardigan in an extra small with the desire to assemble the whole garment with only my serger. Since the material was cut so small I wanted to be careful not to take off too much additional material with my serger blade. I probably should have taken the time to remove the blade since I wasn't entirely finishing each seam and ended up having to use a small zig zag stitch inside of my serged edges to completely finish each seam.



Although this version is fairly small I envision wearing it to the office in the summer, mostly over cute sleeveless blouses, so the size shouldn't be a big issue. I love this modern style and found the pattern quick and easy to assemble. When I do make it again I will size up to allow for additional layers.

Time estimated: 4 hours
Size: extra small
Material used: jersey knit, polyester spandex blend
Care instructions: machine wash warm or cold, tumble dry low, iron low in needed

Cost to make t-shirt:
pattern - $14.00
fabric - $9.00
*used existing thread
TOTAL: $23.00