Medellin and Cartagena

Remember my little "tease" photo from my last post?  I'm back today to tell you all about it!

Once again Kennis Wong of Itch to Stitch* has knocked it right out of the park with her newest pattern releases, Medellin and the Cartagena Cami. I was so happy to have the opportunity to be on the testing team for both of these two patterns.

Medellin is a great faux wrap top, perfect for those gorgeous snuggly French terries, sweater knits or double brushed poly. It's a quick and easy sew and figure flattering.  Throw in the comfort of a snuggly knit fabric and it's a definite win for the wardrobe.

I made my Medellin from a lightweight French terry that I purchased as last year (I think from Blended Threads) - it's so snuggly and soft I'm going to be on the hunt for more like it... Bring on ALL the floral French terry!  For my pattern I sewed up a straight size 18.  Other than adding 1 1/2" of length, this was sewn straight out of the envelope.  Like most of the Itch to Stitch patterns, no other alterations were needed for me.  (I like to pretend that Kennis is designing for me personally! Ha ha!  But honestly, they really do fit my body really well as drafted.)

The Cartagena Cami is an absolute wardrobe staple and perfect for pairing with Medellin or a cardi.  Made from very little yardage of knit fabric allows you to pick from your leftover scraps in your stash or treat yourself to some new fabulous fabric - you can afford to splurge because this pattern really takes next to no fabric at all.  The neckline, armholes and shoulder straps are all constructed with FOE (fold over elastic).

I had got rid of almost all my camis recently because they were either too old and tattered or too small, so I've been on the hunt for, at the very least, a black one since. They're harder to find than you'd expect though, especially in the larger sizes.  Add that to the fact I have a long torso so everything is always to short and my search for a ready to wear one has been completely fruitless.  To heck with RTW!!  My closet is going to be re-stocked with Cartagenas instead.  Beware though.  Do not fall victim to over priced FOE (Fabricland here on the prairies is selling it for $4.50/metre which is ludicrous.  I normally pay between $0.80 - $1.00 online so check around for a good price)

My first cami is made with a bamboo jersey left over from the Super Red Panda costume.  It's soft and a bit drapey thanks to the bamboo but was super easy to sew up; I had no problems with shifting or slipping fabric at all!  My only change from the pattern for this one was once again to add 1 1/2" of length.

I've paired it with my brand new, fresh off the machine, Aviero Cardi here, which by the way is my entry for this year's #CosyCardiChallenge hosted by the Stitch Sisters and Amanda from @amanda_isewalot.  The cardi is the regular length version with 1 1/2" of length added and made from a super soft drapey sweater knit I bought at Marshalls Northwest Fabric in the city - it was on the bargain wall and I'm pretty sure I paid no more than about $4/meter for it at most.  My only conundrum is whether or not I want to leave it open or add snaps just for "looks".  I almost never wear my cardigans closed.  Decisions. Decisions.  LOL (PS: You can grab the Aveiro, Lisbon or Paro cardi patterns for a discount using "ITSCOZY" until  November 17th - you have up until the 30th to enter the Cozy Cardi Challenge so why not treat yourself to a new pattern for your entry!)

For my second cami I grabbed some double brushed poly fabric I had left over from my dress I made in the summer.  I did have to add a center back seam because the pieces I had left were two narrow to do the back on the fold, but I was happy to find a purpose for this pretty floral that I wasn't sure what to do with!  This pattern is so quick!  I actually timed my second one I made and with changing the serger thread, running out of bobbin thread and having to wind a new one, plus rethread the machine as well as change presser feet it took me a grand total of 39 minutes.  The FOE is so simple - Kennis has taken out all the guess work and gives you all the measurements you need.  Easy Peasy.  I'm going to make about a million more of these! I'm pairing it here with my first Aveiro Cardi.

If you want to grab your own copy of Medellin and Cartagena, head over to the Itch to Stitch Website right now!!  For the release week only you can get Medellin on sale for $8.00 USD and Cartagena for $5.00 (no codes needed for the sale prices), but if you want both, which I think you will, pop them both in your cart and Cartagena will be discounted 100%.  WHAT?!?! If  you hurry you can get both these awesome wardrobe favourites for the price of the Medellin.

The Aveiro Cardigan

I'm back this week and once again talking about another new Itch to Stitch pattern.  I'm starting to feel a bit crazy fan girl with all my posts about them these days, but I really do apparently sew them up the most compared to other companies.

Today is the release of the Aveiro Cardigan and given how I live in cardi's all the time I thought it would be a great opportunity to finally branch out from my tried and true Blackwoods.  While the Blackwood is awesome, I have been wanting a cardi that has an option to close for the longest time.  Last year (or was it the year before?) I tried another pattern for a v-neck, button up cardi and it was an unmitigated disaster.  Everything about it was awful and completely unwearable for me.  It ended up being cut up for use in another pattern because there was just no way to selvedge it.  Because it was such a disaster, I've literally avoided so much as looking at any other patterns in that style since.  Then Kennis posted a tester call for the Aveiro Cardi and I was definitely game for trying it...

I knew being an Itch to Stitch pattern I could forget about any concerns regarding fit that I'd have with other patterns, and it was exactly what I was looking for all this time.  It did not disappoint.  It went into immediate rotation in my wardrobe as soon as I snipped the last threads from the machine.

It's an easy pattern and quick to sew (unless you're me - more on that later) which of course gives it big points in my books.  There are four different length options for the body - long, regular, short and bolero.  Then there are three sleeve options - long, 3/4 and short.  Add to that two cuff options - regular and long cuffs.  Use buttons or snaps or leave your cardi plain, the choice is yours.  With all these options you've got plenty of ways to mix and match for completely different looks every time.

In the spirit of keeping things real here at chez Prairie Girl Knits though, I have to tell you I had THE WORST time sewing this one up. Not because of the design.  Not because of the pattern.  Not because of the fabric.  Not because of any of those reasons.  The design is great.  The pattern is great.  The rayon, spandex, poly blend fabric, whilst drapier than perhaps needed, is just fine.

However, my serger tension kept going out of whack and I apparently forgot every single thing I knew about sewing.  Honestly.  If there was a possibility of making a mistake I did it.  I must have sewed on and ripped out the neckband at least three times and in the process I manhandled the fabric so much that it was all rippled and warped on one side.  Thankfully I was able to steam the neckband pieces back into shape and finally re-attached it like I actually knew what I was doing.  I was really happy to have finally sorted out all that and went to apply the snaps.

I must have applied hundreds of KAM snaps at this point in my life.  After all the diapers, swim diapers, diaper covers, and other miscellaneous projects that I've used snaps on you would think it would be a task I could do with my eyes shut.  But no.  Not so much.  I managed to get all the way to the last snap and then I put it in backwards.  WHY?!?!  HOW?!?!  It took several attempts with various tools, implements and bad language before my husband gently took it from me, and got the snap out without damaging my poor much abused neckband fabric any more.  New snap set, my cardi was good to go.  Something that should have taken me an hour to sew at most, took me the better part of three days, but in the end it was worth it.  And next one I sew up will definitely go easier.  At least so long as I don't take complete leave of my senses again.   Just goes to show that it doesn't matter how long you've been at it, sewing is not always rainbows and unicorns and projects that go together without a hitch.

I plan on making a few more Aveiros over the next few weeks - I definitely want the long version, and one in the short version and if time permits, I'll be making another in the same length as this one.  I'd like to play with the longer cuff option too.  If you'd like to grab your own copy of the Aveiro Cardigan , head on over to the Itch to Stitch website!  The pattern is on sale for the release week (no code necessary) and to optimize your savings, Kennis offers a "buy more, save more" style discount that is still in effect with the sale price - check out the shop for all the details on that.

I'm not sure how often I'll be blogging in the next few weeks.  After being off work since mid-June when my term position finished, I'm about to head back to working full time next week, so crafting and blogging may be put on the back burner for a week or two as I wrap my head around my new job, and we launch headlong into hockey season the same week.  This year the boys are on different teams - one has aged up and the other has not - so the two practice schedules are going to be a bit nuts.  I hope to pop in soon though because I do have some other fall sewing projects that I'm eager to show off!