…not that I’ve posted anything I made in 2022 but what better place to start than the end of the year! My last make of the year was my second Blackwood Cardigan by Helen’s Closet patterns. I love her patterns, they fit a curvy body great and are well drafted with excellent comprehensive instructions. This version was in a completely yummy fleece which I think came from Stylemaker Fabrics. I made the long version with an extra wide front band so the two sides of the garment will overlap in front for extra coziness! The Blackwood is a super quick make, 1-2 hours once it’s cut and marked. My serger had trouble with the super thick fleece but since there is no fraying, I used my sewing machine for the bits that the serger couldn’t manage. My only issue with the pattern is that the arms are very very tight… and I have average sized arms. The first version had this issue and I thought it was related to the fabric I used, a herringbone french terry with not much stretch, but evidently it’s related to the drafting so I will need to address this the next time I make this pattern.

Is this the most awkward selfie ever?!! Also could have cropped the photo but it was take the photo and write the post or wait another year!

Now, of course, as soon as I finished this, the temperature here outside of Boston went up to almost 60 (!) making it too hot to actually wear this because it is warm and snuggly (and in need of a press still). All in all, I love this pattern and look forward to making it again at some point … with more generous arms!

What’s on your sewing table this month? Over Christmas break I cut out 6 garments to and tidied up some of my in-process project organization… more on that another time!

Happy Crafting friends!!