Still needing that gray cardi...

I decided last night it was time to get on it and make that replacement gray cardigan.

I used a different pattern than the one I was replacing; I've made 4 or 5 of those pleated Jalie cardis and thought I'd try something different...this was Ann's Cardigan from The Sewing Workshop.

Now, I traced and altered this pattern back before the trench coat, so...yeah...

Note to self...make notes!!!

I'd washed the fabric and discovered, to my dismay, that there were holes in it.  Mostly fairly near the selvedges,  but there were a couple that were pretty much in the center.  I cut it out, more to make sure I could than anything else.  I was able to squeeze the pattern on around the holes, which were only on half of the piece...one end was fine.

So I was saved from complaining to the vendor about it...it was ok.

And, having gotten it cut out, I decided to just sew it up...choir colors include gray for September, so I can wear it tomorrow.

However, there were issues.

I altered up one thing with the cardi; it is designed to have a single-layer collar.  The guide sheet is not illustrated correctly, as it shows the right side of the collar rolling out.

If you sew the collar to the body right sides together, as shown, then it is the WRONG side that is flipped to the outside, not the right side as illustrated in the guide.

Which means the hem allowance will show.

Now, that will not matter to a number of folks, but I didn't want the hem allowance showing on the front like that.  So I altered the collar piece...I doubled the width, and added a seam allowance at center back.  That meant that I have a double-thickness on the collar, which is fine with  me; that's the way my old standard Jalie cardi is constructed.

But I forgot to make a note of how much of a seam allowance I allowed at the bottom.  The hem is 3/4"; I just assumed that I had not changed it and I sewed a 3/4" seam allowance on the bottom edge of the collar.

Wrong.  I apparently allowed a 3/8" seam, because I have some easing happening at the lower edge where the drapey front bit meets the collar.  The collar covers it up, but it would've been better had everything matched up properly.  However, I really believe that is my fault and not the pattern.

Then, when I pressed the sleeve cap after putting the sleeve in, I found a small hole in the very top of the left sleeve cap, just a pinch outside of the seam allowance.  And I dabbled on a wee bit of Fray Check on the inside, hoping it would not soak through and stain the outside, because I had to do something to keep that hole from growing.

Wrong there, too.  There's a spot.

And, apparently the other sleeve hit the card that I was using to dab the Fray Check off of, because there's  also a spot on the lower part of that sleeve.

Now, so far as choir attire goes, none of this matters, because it's not going to be visible at all from the stage.

But the upshot is that the new cardigan isn't really in much better shape than the old one it's supposed to replace.

Arg, arg and arg...  (the spot that is visible in the photo on the left sleeve is a smudge on the camera lens, not the Fray Check spot).

So...I'll wear it for choir, and keep an eye peeled for more gray jersey.  Someday I'll have a good one...