Simplicity 4428 Cardigan review
- MingMakes
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
This was a pattern introduced to me by Sarah Veblen during her mentorship programme. I wouldn't have looked twice at it, but she showed me her version of view B which I really liked. It was a cardigan with a waterfall effect and peplum, and a slight batwing sleeve. I love cardigans as a way of extending the wear of summer tops and dresses into the winter, and the flowy unbuttoned design of this really appealed. I thought the cropped length would look good too.
This pattern is no longer in print but copies can be found on Etsy and eBay.
Fit
I went with size XS on Sarah's guidance as she reckoned we were a similar size. I didn't do any fitting, knowing it would be a looseish cardigan. The front, back and sleeves are one pattern piece which initially looked oddly shaped, so fitting adjustments would have been a bit complex, and it wasn't something I wanted to tackle until I could see how it came together.
I sewed view B shown on the left, but with a less square collar at the top and no flounce on the sleeve, extending the sleeve slightly to make it a long sleeve instead.
Fabric
I used a gorgeous loopback jersey from Guthrie&Ghani in my favourite colour maroon. It has a wonderful drape for the waterfall front and is beautifully soft to touch. It was pretty well-behaved for cutting and sewing, with 30% stretch.
One thing to consider when choosing fabric is that the wrong side will be on show on the waterfall front.
Construction
With only 3 pattern pieces (without the sleeve flounce), this was a brilliantly quick project. I could have used the overlocker for construction, but with this being my first time making it, I thought I'd use the sewing machine in case unpicking was needed. If sewing it again, I'd be quite happy to use the overlocker for all the seams and then topstitch. The only time I used the overlocker was to finish the underarm seam.
Stitching
I used the stretch (lightning) stitch for all the seams, and a normal straight stitch 3mm long for the topstitching. The instructions suggest embroidering over the topstitching but I didn't think this would add anything so omitted this stage.
Seams
These were finished quite neatly by trimming one of the seam allowances, and then pressing both to one side so the longer seam allowance covered the shorter one. This was then topstitched in place. If making this again, I'd consider overlocking the longer seam allowance before topstitching to make it even neater.
With the slight bounciness of the knit fabric, I realised I had to keep steady pressure on the fabric right up to the presser foot as I fed it into the machine during topstitching.
You can see the difference after I figured this out, although a good bit of pressing meant this wasn't an issue.
Collar
There was one seam that I would sew differently next time, which was the join of the two collar pieces at centre back. Here the underside of the collar is exposed on the top, so instead of sewing this seam with right sides together, I would sew it with the wrong sides together so the raw edge is underneath.
The first photo shows the back of the cardigan as viewed from the inside, seeing the wrong side of the fabric. The second photo is viewed from the outside seeing the right side of the fabric. The collar would be folded over when worn.
Raw edges
I decided to leave the outer edges raw as I liked the bare look of this, and as luck would have it I had cut it fairly neatly. I could have overlocked it, but was a little concerned I might stretch it in the process and create more of a lettuce hem look. I guess you could also use binding if you didn't mind the increased bulk.
Summary
This was a total win of a project due to its ease and speed of construction.
What I love
With just 3 pattern pieces and 4 fabric pieces, it's a great simple project.
The drapey waterfall front looks lovely and is a nice change from a classic cardigan which I don't button up anyway.
The cropped length is perfect for me and the peplum is a pretty detail.
The batwing sleeve makes it easy to put on over long-sleeve tops without it feeling tight or bulky.
What I would change
As mentioned above, I would sew the collar pieces together so the raw edge was on the underside.
I would see if the main pattern piece could be adapted to reduce some of the excess fabric at the back, but at the moment I can't see how this might be done without adding an extra seam in, or sewing a kind of dart.
For other versions, I'd consider a more heavyweight knit for extra cosiness, or something for special occasions such as stretch velvet or a fabric with glitter, lurex or sequins. I'd also consider adding a layer of stretch lace to the collar piece as an added detail, or line it with any different fabric, since the wrong side is on display.
What I discovered
Sometimes you just need a quick simple sew and this fit the bill for self-care sewing when life got hectic.
I tend not to look at patterns by the Big 4 as the packaging and photos often look outdated to me, but with the huge number available, there would be many that appeal if I just gave them a second look.
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