BRYNN CARDIGAN - TRUE BIAS
It’s time to get cozy! It’s finally cold in my town and I’m ready to start sewing warm garments, starting with this cute cardigan. Today’s blog post is sponsored by Baby Lock. I am an Ambassador for Baby Lock and all opinions in this post are my own. Let’s get into the details.
Pattern Information
When I first saw the BRYNN CARDIGAN by True Bias, my eyes lit up because I saw all the different options I could create. So, I purchased a copy right away. According to the website, “The Brynn is a fitted cardigan with a V-neck and front button opening. View A is sleeveless, View B has a short sleeve, and View C has long sleeves. All views can be sewn in three lengths – cropped (ending at the natural waistline, hip length, and a dress length (ending a few inches above the ankle). The dress option includes a center back seam for extra shaping.”
The pattern is available as PDF option only, in sizes 0 – 32. It is listed as a “Confident Beginner” skill level and I agree. You only need 5 pattern pieces to sew every view included. The instructions are well written and accompanied by simple illustrations, making it easy to follow along. Tip: I get all of my PDF patterns printed by PDF PLOTTING. There is also a VIDEO SEW ALONG PLAYLIST on the True Bias YouTube channel if you need assistance sewing the Brynn. If you prefer a written sew along check out their BLOG SEW ALONG, starting with the fabric and notions information.
Let’s take a look at some close-up photos of the cardigan.
Fabric Information
The fabric stretch requirement for the cardigan calls for at least 60%. The suggested fabrics are medium weight rib knit, sweater knit and jersey knit. I used this super soft VISCOSE RIB KNIT by Core Fabrics. I received the fabric for free as part of my partnership with Core Fabrics. It has a beautiful drape with great recovery, therefore you won’t have any issue with your garment becoming baggy or stretched out of shape over time.
If you’re planning to make pajamas for yourself or others this Christmas, I think this fabric would be an excellent option. It comes in various colors and you will definitely feel cozy while curled up near the fireplace with a warm cup of coffee or tea. The fabric is currently on sale (at time of this posting) for 30% off (no code necessary). As part of my partnership with CORE FABRICS, you can also get 15% off all other fabrics on their website (except sale items), when you use the code: ANITA15.
Take a look at all the amazing colors available. Oh my GOODNESS! Which is your favorite? Don’t wait because when I release the SEWING BEHIND THE SCENES video on YouTube tomorrow, I have a feeling people are gonna run to the website to take advantage of the sale. Go get yours NOW!
Inside the Garment with Baby Lock CHORUS
I used my BABY LOCK CHORUS sewing machine for all the seams and my BABY LOCK VIBRANT SERGER to finish the seam allowances.
There is nothing more satisfying than sewing a seam on very stretchy fabric that comes off the machine the same length as it started. Sewing with stretchy knits can be very tricky. Growing seams distort the look of the garment. However, when you use the proper presser foot and techniques, it’s possible to achieve professional looking seams. This is especially crucial when stitching hems. Use the proper presser foot and techniques to sew stretchy knits and no more wavy hems.
Baby Lock Chorus comes with a Compact Dual Feed Foot that helps you to sew stretchy knits with no problem. The dual feed foot is also great for maintaining control when working with quilted fabrics, vinyl, leather, or any synthetic materials that stick to the bottom of other presser feet. It prevents the fabrics from shifting so that when you get to the end of your stitch, both layers of fabric are even, as they started.
You may be wondering, what’s so special about the dual feed foot. Unlike the walking foot, the dual feed foot plugs into the back of the machine, making it electronic. It isn’t controlled by the movement of the needle like the regular walking foot. It works with the machine’s feed dogs and has a belt that helps to feed the fabric smoothly, rather than metal teeth. Because the dual feed foot is electronic, you can adjust the speed at which it moves fabric through the machine. You can also purchase optional, snap-on feet (stitch in the ditch, open toe, 1/4″ sole with guide) that work with the dual feed foot. The feet are available at Baby Lock.
Here are some closeup photos of the inside of Brynn. I left the sleeve hems raw because I liked the length and didn’t want to shorten them with a hem. Fortunately, this fabric doesn’t unravel so it looks just fine. A different fabric may have required a hem. In that case I would have added sleeve bands to preserve the length. For my next Brynn, I will cut the sleeves longer. We will talk about the back of the garment in the alterations section of this blog post.
Notions Information
The only notions required to sew the Brynn are thread and buttons. Clear elastic and interfacing strips are optional but I highly recommend both. Clear elastic (or hem tape) stabilizes the shoulder seams to prevent your cardigan from stretching in that area, especially if you are using a very stretchy fabric. Interfacing strips stabilize the fabric to prevent wavy hems.
Core Fabrics sent me MATCHING THREAD along with the fabric and it blended in very well. I wanted a simple button that would match the color of the fabric. These silver metal buttons from JoAnn Fabrics are perfect and achieved the simplicity I desired.
Alterations Information
Here’s where things got really interesting. The pattern includes a neck and front band in one piece where you have to interface along the fronts only (excluding the neck portion for obvious reasons). As many times as I’ve sewn knit garments, I have no idea how or why I interfaced the entire band. I completely spaced out and didn’t realize what I had done until I had already sewn the band onto the cardigan. The problem this created was a stiff neckband that stood away from my body, causing horrible gapping. Noooo!!!
Have you every ripped seams from a stretchy knit fabric, then removed the interfacing? That’s what I would have needed to do in order to fix the situation the right way (since I had no fabric left over to sew a new neckband). So what did I do? A bootleg alteration. I sure did. I sewed darts into the neckband and back bodice to draw in the band to fit my body. I DO NOT RECOMMEND this alteration. This was a complete act of desperation Hahaha!
I had to work through multiple layers of fabric on the neckband and keep the edges even to have a smooth transition from neckband hump to back bodice. My Baby Lock Chorus handled it like a BOSS. Because the dual feed foot covers more space when sewing, it was able to keep a wider range of fabric in place as I stitched over the neckband hump. Although my alteration method distorted the look of the original neckband, the finished dart seam looks fine on the outside of the garment. I told myself, “Nobody’s gonna know.” Hahaha!
The inside may not look flawless but the outside is wearable for me. Sometimes you just have to let your mistakes be. I could have trashed this dress over my messed up neckband. However, the beauty of the garment isn’t lost in the mistake. I still love my Brynn Cardigan Dress and I plan to wear it so much. And I can’t wait to make more cardigans with this pattern. But I will NEVER make the same mistake again because I will be paying attention. Hahaha! Let your mistakes be your best teachers.
If you’d like to learn more about the Baby Lock Chorus, I’ve created a YouTube Series all about this awesome sewing machine. You can watch the first two episodes by going to the PLAYLIST HERE. More episodes are coming soon.
Whenever you’re ready to upgrade your sewing machine, check out the Baby Lock Chorus. You can get 10% off machines, accessories, and software when you use the code SAVE10-AAM4. The offer excludes classes, getaways and Love of Knowledge (BLOK2)). Discount is a one-time use per customer account.
Tips on transferring buttonhole marks
Sometimes transferring pattern markings can be challenging, depending on the type of fabric you’re using. Tracing paper and wheel don’t work on all fabrics. In my case, using a chalk roller to transfer buttonhole markings to the rib knit was a great option. You can also use thread to trace your markings with this fabric, especially if you’re working with darts and pleats.
I used the Automatic Buttonhole Foot to sew my buttonholes, and the Button Fitting Foot to sew the buttons onto my dress. The automatic buttonhole foot literally does all the work for you when sewing buttonholes. And the button fitting foot is a whole game changer. While it’s not difficult to sew buttons onto garments by hand, it’s definitely not one of my favorite tasks. The button fitting foot has completely streamlined that process, reducing the amount of time it takes to attach buttons. I no longer dread sewing large numbers of buttons on a garment because I know that my Chorus will do all the work for me in a fraction of the time that it takes to sew them by hand. YES!
Note: I mistakingly marked the buttonholes on the left front before I realized it. Haha! Removing the chalk and repeating the process on the right front was a breeze.
Styling Options
I was so excited to style this dress because I knew it would look great with boots. However, I also think it will look awesome with high heels and flats. Here, I styled it with my tall black boots, black crossbody bag, rhinestone stud earrings, and a simple silver necklace. I wore this to a book signing event last weekend. I sat for three hours and when I stood up, the dress was not baggy in the back, which is evidence of a knit with great recovery. It was very comfortable too.
What do you think?
Would you sew this cardigan? Which version would you make? I would love to hear your feedback. Scroll to the very bottom of this page to leave a comment.
Thank you for stopping by today! 💕
Other Related Links
- Sewing Project Checklist
- Learn to SEW Course
- Baby Lock Soprano
- Baby Lock Vibrant
- Baby Lock Euphoria
- Baby Lock Chorus
(DISCLAIMER: This blog post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission on qualifying purchases. All opinions in this post are my own.).)
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This Post Has 32 Comments
I know that I could not wear a cardigan dress but you look wonderfully trim and your sewing is impeccable. Thank-you for being transparent about your learning curve and turning it into a useful instruction for us. You are always such an encouragement, every time I watch your videos and read your posts I come away inspired to get organized and make something too.
Dear Anita,
I amazed how beautiful this dress came out.
The band with the buttons is not easy to do.
It came out perfect.
You hit it out of the ball park.
❤️👍
Thank you so much, Lorraine.
Hi Anita
Well, you did it again!! This is a great sweater dress. I’m very happy to hear that others and even professionals like you make mistakes. I’ve been sewing a long time and I, too, make mistakes. Thanks for sharing. I would make this cardigan dress.
Thank you Barb! Oh, yes, we all make mistakes. Then we learn and keep moving forward. Have fun making your cardigan dress.
Love your dress
Thank you Delores. 💕
I so enjoy watching your YouTube tutorials. I haven’t seen one in a long time. When will the next one come out. It’s such a great learning tool for us all. Beautiful dress and yes mistakes are our teaching tools. Glade you found buttons at your local JoAnns. Are JoAnns has nothing 🙁 I’m on the hunt for buttons for two blouses I’m making and I bought your button cover tool and will be using that instead. I love Babylock and will be purchasing one in the future. I currently own a industrial machine by Juki and it’s the bomb. I would only recommend it for advanced sewers for it is extremely FAST when you hit that pedal, but boy can it go through any type of fabric. Sadly it’s only a straight stitch. So I have to use my Janome (which I hate). I only love Juki, Brother or BabyLock. Live and learn right 😉
Hi Barb! Yes, live and learn. Absolutely! I will be getting back too the sew alongs really soon. I’ve been thinking about the same thing and I know people are waiting for the next one. It’s coming. I promise.
Beautiful as always. love your style
Thank you Lynne. 💕
Love your new dress, Anita! Perfect fabric choice. I also like how you fixed your mistake, one could never tell. I thought the darts were meant to be there. ☺️
Yes, I’m so glad I was able to fix it so that it’s not that noticeable. The fabric choice definitely played a part in the success of the alteration.
Beautiful, as always! I think the darts at the back neckline almost make it look as though the garment was tailored to fit you, since that’s a main function of darts anywhere, to achieve a perfect fit. It is a lovely cardigan – not a style I would ever wear, or at least, not in the long version or even a short version if it was buttoned up, but on you it’s great because you have the figure for it!
Thank you Mary Jean!💕
You are right on time with this cardigan. Temps are beginning to drop so this is great. Every seam looks so neat and the dress is beautiful. I looked at the other colors; the berry and blue grabbed my attention. It will be a treat to see the others you sew. Anita, thanks for sharing.
Hi De! Yes, I’m so excited to sew more cardigans. And I agree, the colors they offer for this fabric are so yummy.
Hi Anita,
What a beautiful cardigan! I think you will have plenty of wear out of it and it will look good with so many colours. I was very interested to read about your neckline adjustment. I am a beginner and I wouldn’t have had a clue what to do, so well done you! It is so helpful hearing how to overcome problems like this and not having to trash the whole garment. Thank you for sharing!
Kindest regards,
Jill x
And THIS is why I don’t mind sharing my mistakes. Because I know there are others can learn from my mistakes. Thank you for your comment.
Anita, were you watching me online yesterday. I was searching for cardigans. Although I am plus size, I really like following you and being able to do some of these projects. I had a summer full of comfortable sundress with thin dusters. I guess it’s time to find that perfect cardigan and get to sewing in multiple colors. You know even with the searching I did to buy; I didn’t locate that one or two. Thanks for sharing I love it!!
Deborah
Hi Deborah! Yes, get your duster pattern and have fun. I’ll be joining you because I want multiple colors too. Yay!🤗
Stunning, amazing! You did an awesome job
Thank you Edna!
Stunning, amazing!
Such a beautiful dress modeled by a sewist with an equally beautiful smile. You continue to inspire me to one day sew my own clothes.
Awww, thank you so much, Freda!💕
Gorgeous sweater Anita! And I think your neckline adjustment is perfect!
Thank you Birdgit! I love the way it turned out.
Anita,
You amaze me with your sewing skills. I love the dress. I have a built in dual feed (walking foot) on my Pfaff machine. I am going to see if they sell a walking foot.
Thank you Laura! I hope you’re able to get that walking foot for your Pfaff.
Another winner, Anita. Your neck fix is great. We only know because you told us!
Thank you Karen! 💕