Hello from Hopkins Falls near Warrnambool!  I’m currently holidaying in the area with my bestie Sharon and our girls.  It’s our annual winter beach holiday.  No whale sightings yet, but it’s still early in the week!

Today I’m sharing with you my first make for #sewjapaneseinjuly.  What is ‘Sew Japanese in July’ I hear you ask?  It’s a sister event to #sewjapaneseinjanuary that encourages the sewing community on Instagram to sew from their Japanese pattern books and or Japanese fabric stashes during the month of July and use the hashtag.  It’s a community event – with no sponsors, giveaways or commercial partnerships – open to all, and aimed to motivate and inspire.

So what have I made?  It’s an oversized long-line cardigan from Couturier Sewing Class.

This is one of the few Japanese sewing books that I’ve come across that includes seam allowances.  It did trip me up to start with, as I was on automatic pilot, but the lack of information about seam allowances on the cutting diagram (pictured below on left below) and a finer line on the pattern sheet 3/8″ (1cm) from the inside of the smallest size was what stopped me in my tracks!

The tracing and cutting of this project might have actually taken longer than the sewing.  I sewed the cardigan on my sewing machine with a zig-zag stitch and finished my seams with my overlocker.

A test stitch on a scrap of fabric indicated that the merino knit stretched out a little as it was being sewn with a regular foot on my machine.  I therefore changed to a walking foot to negate this issue… it worked a treat.  I also changed the differential feed on my overlocker from ‘N’ to ‘1.5’ to avoid the finished edge being fluted.  These small changes to my machines really made a huge difference to the quality of the end garment.

The other thing that helped with a professional finish was my beloved glue backed Vliesofix Tape (available to purchase in my online shop).  I secured the hem with Vliesofix T25  before stitching.  Glue and sewing are so compatible!

The verdict?  I didn’t realise how much I needed a long-line cardigan in my life.  I love it!  So warm, swishy and easy-to-wear.  Have you dipped your toe into sewing a Japanese pattern or made a long-line cardigan recently?  Do tell.

Pattern:  Long-line cardigan (photo page 21, instructions page 62) from Couturier Sewing Class (ISBN978-4-529-05489-8)
Size:  M
Fabric:  Medium-weight 100% merino knit from The Cloth Shop
Alterations:  3/8″ (1cm) forward shoulder adjustment
Outfit:  Jeans from Witchery,  scarf a gift and boots from Obus (last season).
Photo Location:  Hopkins Falls near Warrnambool