Well I finally finished the pumpkin wool jersey cardigan and it looks beautiful. I wish I could say I look beautiful in it but the color does nothing for me. Otherwise, the fabric, the construction and the fit are wonderful and it makes a great set with the matching top. At the moment it is residing on Matilda, she needs something to wear after all, and it coordinates perfectly with the amber necklace that is stored around her neck as it does not fit in any drawer or box. This way I don’t have to borrow Matilda’s clothes and I can admire my beautiful workmanship.
I will never be a fast sewer. This still took me too long. I admire people who can whip out several things in a day. I have to press and consider and look and make sure I am doing the right thing. I am too mired in thought to become a speedy sewist, but I enjoy the process and I suppose that is what truly matters.
Even so, I was very distracted and discombobulated when I started; I basically retreated to my sewing room to avoid the general chaos that was errupting around me, and in my fogged state I basted the first sleeve incorrectly, right side of sleeve to wrong side of body. An unfortunate pairing to say the least. Luckily I am finally realizing that it really is easier to baste things like sleeves first and then sew them up with final stitches if they work. Ripping out is much easier. I think ripping and resewing the sleeve was a calming exercise however and the finishing of the cardigan went much more expeditiously.
Matilda is also wearing a lace scarf, which I still have to do a final row of stitching on to finish one seam (I am just to lazy to thread the machine for one six inch seam. The scarf is a deep plum, almost dark chocolate brown with little flecks of pumpkin, fuschia, teal, plum, and turquoise. It looks surprisingly good with the pumpkin sweater so I am beginning to think that perhaps I could wear this with the right garments, deep plums perhaps and my navy would look good with this as well. Something to consider further. Of course if I do this I will actually have to sew in the shoulder pads and put buttons and buttonholes in the cardigan. I don’t mind the task I just wasn’t going to waste good buttons on Matilda.