Wednesday, December 22, 2021

One Holiday Cashmere Sweater Using Three

It's raining here on the central coast of California which is always good news.  Perfect for the solstice and the approaching holiday.

It's been really chilly, too.  Sweater weather, for sure.  This time of year I bring out my copious supply of secondhand cashmeres and go to work trying to reduce the stash.

I bought a sweater at a D.C. consignment store a couple years ago that I love and wanted to copy.  Seemed like cashmere would be the perfect tester material.

The original is a short, boxy style that I wear over lots of different tops.  I'm wearing several short, cropped tops that are made of drapy fabrics.  In winter they're cashmere, in summer they're cotton knits.

Of course, all of my cashmeres have holes in them; that's why I get them for $8 each.  Hence the square patches.

I used three sweaters to make this and have lots of scraps leftover.  I intend using all of the scraps I've accumulated over the years.  Any ideas for using small cashmere scraps?  My friend, Gwen, makes beautiful lap blankets, using 2 inch squares.  I may follow her lead but I'm open to suggestions!

I copied the garment construction verbatim using  raw edge, flat fell seams so that both layers of cashmere show along the edge of each seam.  I like the look of raw edges so this worked well for me.  
I don't hem any of the remade cashmere sweater I make because thin, closely knit fabrics don't unravel and the bulk of a hem just doesn't look right to me.

I've been doing a LOT of sewing but not much posting these last months.  I promise to catch up after the new year.

Stay sweet, stay safe, keep sewing!