What’s better than a FREE, fast & easy sewing pattern? How about a FREE, fast & easy sewing pattern that will fit lots of bodies? And my work bathroom selfies, of course!
This is the Slouchy Cardi from In the Folds, offered for free download (FREE!) by Peppermint Magazine, here. #peppermintslouchycardi
Click on the sizing chart below to enlarge it. This pattern is drafted to be loose-fitting with a lot of ease, to give it that slouchy look. I’m not a huge fan of quite so much slouch so I picked my size by the finished measurements for Size F, which is still bigger than my actual measurements (see below) and gives me minimal ease, which is fine since the Liverpool knit I used is plenty stretchy. Because of the generous size range and siz-ING, this Slouchy Cardi will fit many shapes and sizes.
Here’s the schematic for the pattern pieces. I wanted to point out the band piece and how long it is. (It’s the sheets on the right starting at 35 and going straight down to 28.) Once you’ve got both band pieces sewn together and pressed, that’s a LOT of curved band to wrestle with and attach evenly to the cardi body. Do not skimp on marking pattern notches (of which there are plenty, yay!) and do not skimp on pins. Do not do what I did and think you can just wing it, because you’ll have to pin/re-pin about 378 times to get the band distributed evenly around the cardi body. Yeah. Not marking those notches was no shortcut. But if you mark the notches and pin accordingly, the curved band will fit around the cardi body perfectly, first try. This is a nicely drafted pattern.
And here’s another of the fantastic work bathroom selfies. To make things even better, of course I used black fabric so you can’t see any details.
In order to zoom in so you can see a few details, it meant including items that really showed the bathroom part of the “work bathroom selfie.” It’s hard to believe this scribble erasing is from a former graphic designer, but hey … I’m at work and this computer has no real photo-editing software so it was either this or a toilet and feminine products. Hah. Anyway, the sleeves are finished with a wide cuff. This sleeve is not too long for me; I’m just holding the cuff in an attempt to show it better. I’m pretty certain that pose worked better in my mind. If you click the photo to enlarge it, you might also be able to slightly see the curved band around the cardi body. What you won’t be able to see is the sideseam pockets, because I didn’t add them. I was already below the pattern’s stated fabric requirements and pockets just weren’t going to fit.
Below you can see that this is actually a fairly long cardigan. I really love how easy but elegant the curved band is. With this cardi’s slight cocoon shape, longer length, and dropped shoulders, I’m feeling 1980s goodness all over again. All I need is my shoulder pads and Aqua Net (industrial strength hairspray for you young-uns).
The last two pics are essentially the same. All I moved was my head, trying for that artful pose or something. Yeah, no.
And that’s pretty much all I have to say about that (a la Forrest Gump), but that’s just about how fast it is to cut and sew this Slouchy Cardi. The dress I’m wearing is a Cashmerette Turner, made a couple of years ago, and still in rotation.
Pattern name: Slouchy Cardi (designed by In the Folds, offered by Peppermint Magazine)
Hashtag: #peppermintslouchycardi
Size range (finished measurements):
Inches 38.175-39.75-40.5 to 59.875-61.5-62.25
Centimeters 97-101-103 to 152-156-158
What size did you make? Size F, choosing by finished measurements since there is intentionally a lot of ease in this pattern.
What are your measurements, height, and body type? Height 5’5″; Bust 44DD – Waist 39-40 – Hips 49-51; Body type – Um, hourglass-to-apple?
What adjustments did you make and how long did they take? No adjustments. Just take note that this is designed with lots of slouchy ease, so if you prefer less slouch, size down.
What fabric did you use? Black textured Liverpool knit
What was the construction process like? Did the instructions make sense to you? Construction was fast. The instructions were easy to understand and thorough.
How do you like the pattern’s fit? Do you think the design works well for your particular body shape? I really like the curved bands, which I think enhance my own curves, and I like the overall cocoon shaping. The finished cardi fits great!
Will you make the pattern again? I will definitely make this again!
Pattern Rating:
Size Range: 5
Instructions: 5
Construction Process: 5
Final Fit: 5
Overall Rating: 5 – I love that it’s Free, Fast, and Fit-clusive!
Great job, Looks lovely on you. I enjoyed the pictures
AQUA NET!! Hahaha. You should have seen my bangs in 1988. They defied gravity. 😉
I had also overlooked this pattern (for much the same reason as Megan above), but it looks fantastic on you! I may have to give this one a go, though. Our office moved recently and the new building is much colder than the old one, and I find myself reaching for big, slouchy cardigans a lot more often. Thank you for this excellent review!
Cardi OK but 10 points for your humour! I really laughed out loud at your ironic efforts to look sublime in the work bathroom
I second the 10 points for humor! I also appreciate knowing that I’m not the only one who takes shortcuts only to discover that marking and pinning — and sometimes even basting — turn out to be well worth the effort. Great outfit!
I love the Peppermint Free Patterns! I had overlooked this cardigan- due to my pear shape, I always avoided this style in ready to wear because it ended up huge on top and hanging open strangely on the bottom. But now that I can sew and grade between sizes, I should probably give the style another try.