#119 Puff sleeve cardigan from Thread Faction

Friends, miracles happen! My big girlie has never been a keen model. There have been periods when she simply refused to be photographed. However at one of our last photo-shoots she was coming up with various cool poses, twisting, twirling, dancing, blowing kisses... all without any direction from me!

We took these photos two months ago, but we still smile when we talk about it. In all honesty I don't know what was different this time that made miss R enjoy the process so much. We were at our usual spot and we settled on our usual reward terms - sweets or extra TV time.

I didn't sew much for Miss R last summer as the things I made for her a year earlier still fit just fine. I remember the days when I was sewing for her non-stop. Things changed since she started school. She simply doesn't need a lot of clothes. The dress Miss R is wearing in these pics is one of only two dresses I made for her last summer.

However at the end of summer Miss R went through a growth spurt. All of the sudden we were facing a wardrobe emergency. Things got so bad that I went and bought her a few things hahaha

In an attempt to avoid going to a sewing mama hell for purchasing cheap clothing for my daughter I made her a cardigan. I have been looking at #199 Puff sleeve cardigan pattern from Thread Faction for some time. I showed a few photos of the cardigan to Miss R and she gave her tick of approval immediately. She requested a view with a bow tie. 

The cardigan in these photos is size 7 width with size 8 length. I am sorry I can't remember Miss R's measurements at the time. I wanted the cardigan to still fit her when spring returned, so I ended up sewing a size bigger than she measured for.

This was my first time sewing a Thread Faction pattern, and I was very happy with it. The instructions were very thorough. The pattern pieces matched up beautifully. This particular pattern is very easy to sew. I think the most time consuming step for me was turning the ties right side out! I am not entirely convinced yet, I may change the way I attach the tie to the bodice next time and do it on my sewing machine rather then the overlocker to achieve a neater result. As is, the bow masks the imperfection and it is completely unnoticeable.

I used lovely single merino jersey from The Fabric Store. From memory this divine fabric was around $10 per metre as an in-store special last year. The colour was called Melon. It is the most gorgeous colour, something between red and pink. This fabric is bright enough to make a certain 7 year old's eyes twinkle with delight.

I look at these photos and can hardly believe it that two months ago we could get away with wearing a lightweight cardi over a summer dress. It is rather chilly now and I started working on my girlies' winter wardrobes.