Friday, April 04, 2008

Cardigan - last SWAP piece




Yes, I have finally finished all of my pieces for the Timmel SWAP. My friend Maureen is helping me with all the photography (hopefully) this weekend. These pictures were taken at dusk, so they're a little dark, but you can still get the idea. I really like this cardigan and can see that I will wear it a lot.























What I don't like is the fabric. I don't remember it being said that it was dry clean only, and the first time I washed it, it pilled both inside and out. I didn't think it looked that bad at first - no, actually, I hated it the moment I saw it. I put it aside for a moment and later on I thought, I guess it's not that bad. But it is that bad. It looks old and worn to me.

Another thing I wish I would have done that the pattern did not call for, is to add interfacing to the front bands. They look a little limp and would have really benefited from some fusi-knit.'








I tried out the stretch buttonhole on my sewing machine and like the way it turned out. A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to the woman in the quilt shop. We were talking about twin needle stitching. I told her how my fabric always makes a ridge with twin needle, even though I adjust the tension. She suggested using water soluble stabilzer and to spray it first with spray adhesive to make it stick to the fabric. "It comes right off and doesn't leave any marks," she assured me. Well, I haven't done any twin needle yet, but decided to try it with these buttonholes. I LOVE the way this works. I have used stabilizer with buttonholes before, but it always seems to move out of place even when pinned. This was the perfect solution. The stabilzer tears right off and then I used a wet washcloth to remove the rest. The adhesive spray is called "505" and worth every penny of the $12.99 I paid for it.

11 comments:

AllisonC said...

Huge congratulations on finishing the SWAP, I've been following along on Stitchers Guild and am really impressed. I'm sorry about your fabric, but it looks great from here! Thanks too for the stabiliser tip.

Johanna Lu said...

Congrats on finishing the swap! The cardigan looks really great from here. But I can acknowledge that pilling can be a huge problem with sweater knits, cheap or high scale - it doesn't really matter in my experience. If there is the slightest blend involved it's pretty much bound to pill unfortunately, and not just by washing but also from the daily wear and tear.

Adrienne said...

Congrats on finishing your swap!!!

Alexandra said...

Congratulations on finishing your SWAP! The cardigan looks great!

Shannon said...

Alright! Nice work on finishing up your SWAP!!

Anonymous said...

a total success, congrat on completing your swap, your cardigan is beautiful

Summerset said...

Congratulations on finishing your SWAP!

You know, the first thing I noticed about the picture wasn't the cardigan or the way you styled it with right companion pieces and accessories. The first thing I noticed was your smile! You look radiant and happy. A smile isn't an accessory - it's a foundation to the whole look.

Vicki said...

Congrats on finishing the swap! Looking forward to seeing the results of the photo shoot. And thanks for the tip - must try it out.

kbenco said...

Your cardigan looks like a perfect finish to your SWAP, what a pain that the fabric is not living up to your sewing, but it will look great in the photographs!

LauraLo said...

Oh, I love the cardigan, I really love it! Congrats for finishing, Nancy!!!!!!!!!!

Tany said...

Congratulations on your lovely cardigan and also for completing your SWAP! You did an awesome job!