Heather Gray Basics: Oslo Cardigan, Jane Tee and Hemlock Tee

January in Seattle is gray and cold, so it was fitting that the garments I made this month were gray, too! A while ago, I purchased 5 yards of Robert Kaufman Laguna Cotton Jersey Knit in Heather Pepper. It's a lovely fabric that has a little bit of a pattern, but reads as a solid. The plan was to make an Oslo Cardigan and a Hemlock Tee. Before I found time to cut out the pattern pieces, the January 2017 issue of Seamwork dropped. I loved both patterns, and decided to make the Jane Tee immediately. After playing a little pattern piece Tetris, I realized I had almost enough yardage to make all three items out of the yardage I had on hand. I dug through my apparel scraps and found a big enough scrap of Heather Pepper for the Hemlock Tee sleeve. (I used it previously for a Wembley Cardigan.) Thus, I made three things from the yardage I had planned to use for two garments. It felt like finding a free shirt! Here are more details about each garment. 

Pattern: Oslo Cardigan from Seamwork 

Fabric: Robert Kaufman Laguna Cotton Jersey Knit in Heather Pepper 

Alterations: Reduced the cuff length by 50%

  

Thoughts: When I first made this pattern back in 2015, I considered it a failure. Part of the reason why was the color (When I ordered it online, I thought that Royal would be a deeper, truer blue than it was), part of it was that I choose the wrong size, and part of it was that the cuffs were way too long for my taste. This time I chose a fabric I had used successfully in the past, sized down by one size, and reduced the cuff length by 50%. I am much happier with this version. The sleeves are still a little long, but they are not too bulky when folded back. I'm tempted to make another in more challenging fabric, like a sweater knit, now that I have a serger. I've worn this cardigan once or twice a week since making it, so now I consider the pattern a success!

   

 

Pattern: Jane Tee from Seamwork 

Fabric: Robert Kaufman Laguna Cotton Jersey Knit in Heather Pepper 

Alterations: Graded the pattern up at the hip by adding 1.25 inches at the bottom edge on both the front and back pattern piece

Thoughts: I'm always on the lookout for good, repeatable basics. I know from experience that my measurements mean that I usually have to grade out the waist/hips 1-2 sizes with Seamwork patterns. Since this is a simple pattern, I just added 1.25 inches at the bottom edge of each torso piece and drew a straight line from there to the arm scythe. While I'm really happy with the fit around the waist/hips, the loose sleeves and high crew neck aren't my favorite. I'm still happy that I tried this pattern. It's a wearable basic that taught me that I like tighter sleeves and lower necklines, at least for my tees.

  

Pattern: Hemlock Tee from Grainline Studio  

Fabric: Robert Kaufman Laguna Cotton Jersey Knit in Heather Pepper 

Alterations: Added 1.5 inches to the sleeve 

Thoughts: The Hemlock Tee is one of my current favorite patterns. It's free, it fits and it's quick. Last November, I whipped up four Hemlock Tees and they have been in constant rotation ever since. For this version, I extended the sleeves by 1.5 inches. I really like the extra length for winter. This shirt is a definite wardrobe workhorse.

While making three plain gray items in a short period of time may seem boring, it's very satisfying to make basics that you know will be worn often. It's also super satisfying that I've already made two of the patterns from my #2017MakeNine collage! I've ordered fabric for a few more basics, but after that I may start reaching for prints over solids. We'll see.

Royal Oslo Cardigan

Boy, was I eager to check out the first issue of Seamwork Magazine. Yes, the articles are informative, but what I was really looking forward to were the patterns. Quick, cute patterns delivered via PDF every month? Sign me up! The first issue did not disappoint. I knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted to sew up the Oslo Cardigan. (I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but cardigans of kind of my thing.)

Assembling PDF patterns isn’t my favorite thing in the whole world, but with Oslo I applied a couple tricks to make it more manageable. First, I used a large paper trimmer that I had received for Christmas, which sped things up and increased my trimming accuracy. Second, I paid close attention to what I was putting together, and thus was able to assemble each pattern piece separately instead of making one giant pattern sheet. I was between sizes, so I chose the larger size. Something tells me I should have chosen the smaller one.

Perhaps Oslo is intended to be an oversized cardigan, but I’m just swimming in mine. It’s super cozy, but doesn’t look as fashionable as the model versions. I think maybe part of it is the fabric choice. I used Robert Kaufman Laguna Cotton Jersey Knit in Royal, and I think Oslo would look better in a sweater knit. I may be a bit prejudiced against this fabric though, because I think it’s a little too teal to be considered “royal.” I ordered it online and was a little bit disappointed with the color. Still, I found something else in my stash that coordinates, so I kept it. It works well enough for my first run through of this pattern.

I like the way the cuffs are attached to the sleeves. I chose option one, which leaves the seam on the outside of the sleeve. When you fold the cuff up, the seam is hidden. However, the cuff is really big and it’s a bit too bulky for my taste.

Overall, I like Oslo. When I make it again, I think I’ll sew a size smaller and try a different type of knit. I can’t wait to see what patterns show up in next month’s Seamwork!