Cardis for Mom & Me – Rebecca Page Circle Cardigan

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(Before we begin: do you spell it cardi or cardie? Apparently both are acceptable, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, so if you see both spellings here, don’t worry. The hashtag for it is actually #circlecardie and this was the first time I had ever seen it with an E!

It’s like grey vs. gray. I usually spell it with an E but anyway…)

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I bought the Rebecca Page Circle Cardigan PDF pattern almost immediately after its release, which is something I rarely do. I usually prefer to wait on the maker internet to show off their versions before committing to a new pattern. But I was in the market for a replacement to the waterfall cardigan in my #2018makenine after multiple fails with it, and this looked like a safe bet.

I’m not super familiar with Rebecca Page’s patterns (which are all PDFs), but she had a variety of body types featured on the pattern page, which helped me relax re: sizing. Many of the testers commented that the Circle Cardi was a quick sew, though it didn’t look like one to me. It was noted that a full bust adjustment was probably NOT necessary, which is like the holy grail of top making!

The Circle Cardigan comes with 2 length options, 3 sleeve options (sleeveless, 3/4 length, and long), and 3 finishing options for the hem (folded over, banded, or ruffle). For my version, I chose a short length with full-length sleeve and banded hem. I used a gifted thin burgundy/cream/black sweater knit. There doesn’t seem to be any spandex in it so recovery is weak, but it’s nicely drapey so it’s probably a rayon or cotton-poly blend.

The reason the cardigan is called a circle is because the main body piece is circular and the band is sewn all the way around in one continuous circle. Get it? It actually reminded me of half a W, so I took to calling it my Wu-Tang sweater:

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A post shared by Paulette Font-Erato (@pfont) on Feb 21, 2018 at 7:28am PST

The instruction booklet is dense at a full 43 pages. This is mostly due to each step including a full-color photograph for a truly easy sewing experience. The parts for sewing the shoulders and the collar are a tad bit tricky but the photos and drawings break it down pretty well. It just took a few readings for me to wrap my brain around it.

A really nice feature of the instructions is that it lists the precise pages to print for whichever version of the cardigan you choose, so you don’t waste paper and ink printing it out. I did find a little bit of errata in that I needed to include pages 55, 71, and 80-83 for my version, but that was easy enough to figure out once I had all the pages laid out on the floor.

Side note: how do you layout your PDF patterns? Do you tape or glue (I use both)? Or do you avoid the whole thing and just have copyshop versions printed? Also: HOW DO YOU STORE YOURS? I’ve taken to rolling them up inside paper towel tubes but I don’t like that as a long-term solution.

Also, there is no “short hemline” hemband pattern piece, but there is a cutting chart that includes the dimensions for it, so it’s easy enough to simply size the “long hemline” band option to that size (which is 15.75″ as opposed to a full 20″ for the long band)

I had intended to solely use my serger for this, but it turns out you actually don’t need one. In fact, when attaching the shoulders, you’re instructed NOT to use one. When I made my second one for my mom though, I simply basted the shoulders then finished off the whole neckline with the serger. It was super quick that way (but I also already knew what I was doing by that point).

Speaking of mom’s version, shown here in an oatmeal jersey, it turned out we could once again wear the same size! Even though our measurements put us in different sizes, the generous ease meant we both fit into the size large without any modifications.

It never rains in Southern California. Except when it does. Like here.

Well, except for the sleeves. I found the sleeves to be REALLY long. For short women like me and mom (we’re both under 5’3″) this meant taking the sleeves up—4 entire inches for my mom. The picture of her here shows how far past the wrist this goes. I had planned to add cuffs with thumbholes to mine and then mom asked for the same. Now I am in the process of redoing both our cardigans.

I love, love, LOVE this cardigan. I used it in my 7×7 Mini Capsule, and the color blend makes it easy to wear with so much. Because I’m short, the banded short version gives the perfect butt coverage without feeling overwhelmingly long. The collar in my sweater version is a bit high so when I make it again I’ll simply lop about 2-3 inches or so off. It is a 5″ high collar, minus 3/8″ seam allowance, so it does come up pretty high on the neck, especially with the addition of the band. In my mom’s jersey knit, this wasn’t quite as much of an issue because the fabric was so much thinner.

And I WILL make it again because now I need it in seafoam/sage/light green to round out my SWAP capsule. This comes together in less than a day, so once I find the right fabric that adheres to the SWAP guidelines, I’ll whip it up again! My new SWAP grid now look like this:

And here are some more views of my cardigan.

Pattern Recap:

Pattern: Rebecca Page Circle Cardigan
Size: large
Fabric: drapey burgundy/cream/black sweater knit, fiber content unknown
Modifications: n/a
Notes for next time: remove 2-3″ from the collar and shorten sleeves 2-3 inches