Wait did you say sweater Heather? Yes you heard right, Bonnie is the first knit pattern from Bluegingerdoll. I had no idea what Abby had up her "puffed" sleeves when she told me that the next pattern was going to be for knits. When the technical sketches arrived and I saw it was a mix and match sweater pattern, my little heart sang with joy. Nothing like a quick knit project to make one feel productive. Because of that I might have whipped up more than one.
*Both of my Bonnies are the cropped length body, crew neckline and the full length sleeves. I used a size 10/12 combo with a 1/2" forward shoulder adjustment. The crew neckline was lowered an 1" in the front, because anything higher makes feel feel a bit choked. Due to the neckline adjustment I added 1/2" more length to each end of the neckband for a total of 1"
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Version 1 - Sewn in rayon ponte with stashed medium weight rayon ribbing.
After doing my test muslin in T-shirt weight fabric, I wanted to try a more "sweatery" fabric. Trying the pattern out in ponte seemed fun, especially after finding this wild rose pattern on Etsy. Bonus - if using a contrast fabric/ribbing for the bands, then you can get a 10/12 combo out of one 60" wide yard. I'm happy with the ponte version other than a touch more fabric could be taken out of the back.
Bonnie is paired with some Colette Clovers here. They aren't the best choice for the cropped length since the waistline on the pants is too low when actually moving around. Some "at waist" cigarette pants would work, such as the Butterick 5895. I also think the cropped length top would look sharp with some forties area full leg pants, such as Decades of Style Empire Waist Trousers.
Version 2 - Sewn in T-shirt weight organic cotton/spandex jersey with self bands.
Here the pattern is sewn in a plain jersey which let's you see the puffed sleeve detail. I've used the self fabric for the bands on this version. Bonnie comes with different band lengths for ribbing and self fabrics so that you get a good fit with either. Nice not having to do that ribbing calculation in my head.
I've paired Bonnie with my latest version of the Betsy pencil skirt. (The yellow/white polka dot fabric is still available at Gorgeous Fabrics if you're interested) My growing collection of pencil skirts is one of the reasons I've had cropped sweaters on the brain. The length is perfect to show off a brightly patterned skirt.
I've paired Bonnie with my latest version of the Betsy pencil skirt. (The yellow/white polka dot fabric is still available at Gorgeous Fabrics if you're interested) My growing collection of pencil skirts is one of the reasons I've had cropped sweaters on the brain. The length is perfect to show off a brightly patterned skirt.
Right now Bonnie is only available as a PDF, but a print version will be arriving later in the month and can be pre-ordered now. You can pick up the pattern at 10% off the pattern with the code BONNIE through 10-13-2014. Meanwhile I'll be whipping up a bunch of these since it's finally cold in Pa. Hot pink is up next!
I'll be purchasing my first Bluegingerdoll pattern now and those high waisted trousers, too! Damn you! (And love you) great makes!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely LOVE that second plain jersey version! It really is everything I want in a sweater all in one go, and don't get me started on that lemon brooch! I might have just ordered the pattern…. x
ReplyDeleteThese both look great and I love your new Betsy skirt too! This pattern looks awesome and I bet it will be nice over dresses too. Can't wait to make some up - I may have to bump it up to the top of the queue.
ReplyDeleteOoh Looks good. Love me a cropped sweater! I like your cheerful pencil skirt too!
ReplyDeleteI love the long-sleeved tops you've been making lately! Long sleeves often make me free frumpy, so I usually make 3/4 sleeves... but your's manage to look elegant! My hero.
ReplyDeleteThose jumpers are divine! And the yellow brooch-skirt-shoes combo is inspired. How do you perform a forward shoulder adjustment? I know a lot of fitting books add to the back shoulder and take from the front, but I find I need to actually just let the back shoulder out as my torso/humpback needs the added length.
ReplyDeleteI really like the way ponte holds the design lines in sweaters and tshirts.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!! It's great that the two lengths for rib and self fabric bands were included. How smart is that! Almost as smart as you look in your shirts!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great pattern. I like the lower neck version. I would be tempted to make the sleeve very gathered at the top to be quite 1930s about things. Love your style!
ReplyDeleteHa haa, I'm such a bad influence. At least you'll look great. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jane. I can picture you rocking this pattern. Sure you have some excellent brooches of your own to smarten it up. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Heather. The cropped length is perfect for skirts and dresses in my opinion. I'm going to hack it into a cardigan as well since no one seems to be selling cropped sweaters with full length sleeves.
ReplyDeleteThanks Emily. I did make the solid black one just to have something to wear with the cheerful pencil skirt. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks Gillian! I do know what you mean about full length sleeves often making you feel frumpy. Not sure what the magic combo is to keep that from happening. Maybe Froggie should graph it out for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks Siobhan. For the forward shoulder adjustment I do add to the back shoulder and take the same amount from the front. That works well for me because just my shoulders thrust forward. It sounds like you have extra length in the back so letting the back shoulder out it the perfect adjustment for that. I say if it works, don't fix it. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Gail, ponte is nice an structural like that. Of course then I when and chose a busy print to obscure all the design lines. Haa haa, Fail.
ReplyDeleteThanks Margo. Having different band lengths was the icing on the cake! I actually had put ribbing on the black jersey one but there was too much color difference for it to look good. No problem, rip those bands off and put some self bands on there. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Modiste girl. An extra puff sleeve sounds delightful. You could always slash and spread the sleeve more if you wanted a giant puff. :)
ReplyDeletea great pattern, indeed one for many versions.
ReplyDeleteyou know you just do it so wonderfully, I'll skip the part where I say it's well made and beautifully worn and all of it. ;)
Thank you JuJu for all your kind comments on my work. I appreciate it. :)
ReplyDeleteOh nice! This is going on my 'to think about buying, until I forget' pile. Most things go on that pile, to be honest...
ReplyDeleteWell, aren't you pin-up girl fabulous?! Cute outfits, duder!
ReplyDeleteLOL Laura, I might have one of those lists too. There's so many great things out there to sew.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ginger, gonna milk the quasi pin-up thing until the weather turns bitter.
ReplyDeleteI have just bought the pattern having seen your plain black jersey number. Gorgeous. Did the pattern cope equally as well with different weight knits?
ReplyDeleteHi sewsouthlondon. For this post I sewed Bonnie in both a T-shirt jersey and a ponte. What I noticed is that any fitting problems you might have are going to be more apparent the heavier the knit is. For example I put a forward shoulder adjustment in all my woven garments, but often skip it in knit garments. Not a big deal in the thinner knit but I did feel the difference in the thicker ponte. Other than fitting stuff I personally didn't have any problems sewing the pattern together in various weights. I hope answer helps. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, that's extremely helpful. It was the lighter weight I was concerned about, as it may not hold its shape as well as the thicker stuff. I've just ordered some floral knit ITY on eBay. Thanks for the inspiration. x
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