Sewing a Bonnie Sweater

I’ve been a long- time admirer of BlueGingerDoll patterns. Ever since I saw this Billie Jean Dress made by Julia Bobbin back in April I knew I wanted one, as well as one of everything else Abby has released since.

A bunch of other patterns and sewing for the boys got in the way but I’ve FINALLY got around to sewing up the first of the four BGD patterns I have patiently waiting in my PDF pattern queue – the Bonnie Sweater.

I went for view A, described by Abby as an iconic 40s inspired cropped sweater with flutter sleeves and a fitted waistband. I was a bit dubious about wearing a cropped design as I tend to steer away from clothes that draw attention to the belly zone. (Yes, I’m vainly sucking it in on most of these shots!) Despite that, I’m sooooo happy with how it turned out!! I had the high waisted skirt in my wardrobe which I think matches perfectly for a professional looking work outfit as well as holding everything in a nice profile without the need for Spanx.

There are two other versions in the pattern to choose from so I think I might try a scooped neckline next and maybe just increase the length slightly so I have a few more options for wearing it with lower waisted pants.

For size, I was halfway between a 10 and 12 at the bust so cut between the two and graded to a 10 at the hips.

The fabric was a lightweight sweater knit I got from a clearance table at Textile Traders a few months ago. At only $4 a metre this top was a serious bargain!! I think it’s some sort of polyester blend so it doesn’t feel like the most luxurious fabric to wear but now I’m confident with the fit, I’ll splurge on something a bit fancier for the next one.

The sleeve hemming stumped me a bit. The fabric is really slippery and fiddly to work with but I really didn’t want to leave the edges raw. Luckily, the helpful ladies in the BlueGingerDoll sew-along facebook group suggested using a wash-away tape to hold it in place before sewing. Done! I’m still not 100% sure if I’m happy with the finish though. While the tape was AWESOME at keeping everything still and together when sewing, I think it’s created a bit of stiffness in the hem that wasn’t there before. Meh! Pretty sure I’m over-thinking it…

The best thing about this pattern is it was SUCH a quick sew! The instructions were more like a paper pattern than the long form PDFs I’m mostly used to but they were more than adequate and easy to follow.