Sew Wrong

Pattern Review: Coppelia Cardigan [Papercut Patterns]


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Doing my best ballerina pose


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Pattern: Coppelia Cardigan from Papercut Patterns
Fabric: Rayon jersey from Metro Textile in NYC
Size: XS with modifications

Tank: Old Navy
Skirt: Tommy Hilfiger

Leggings: Guess
Boots: Sporto
Lipstick: NARS Funny Face

Lauren beat me to it, but here’s my rendition of the fabulous Coppelia Cardi by Papercut Patterns.  For those of you not familiar with Papercut Patterns, it’s an indie sewing pattern line based out of New Zealand.  The designs are fresh and modern without being too trendy – a lot of the patterns remind me of pieces I covet in the upscale boutiques on Newbury Street in Boston.  I can see these patterns getting a lot of rotation in my closet since they’re great wardrobe staples and beyond.

As a side note, when I asked my boyfriend to take pictures of my new cardi, he was confused because he thought I bought this.  Yesss, mission accomplished!


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Explained in a post earlier this week, I needed to make some size modifications after I finished the cardigan and tried it on for fit.  It didn’t fit anywhere as closely as I wanted it to, even though I was making an XS, and I ended up shaving off about two inches from the raglan length and tapered in the sleeve and side seams quite a bit.  I could have shortened the sleeves as well since they’re on the long side, but I don’t mind the pushed-up sleeve look.  Plus, they keep my hands warm!  Lauren mentioned that she took out an inch in the width of the back piece of her cardigan, and I definitely think I could have benefited from doing that alteration as well since I have a small back.  For future cardis, since I have a nice white jersey that would be perfect for this pattern, I’ll cut out the XXS and go from there with any pattern alterations.


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My favorite way to tie this cardigan shut is by wrapping the ties around the back, like how the model is wearing it on the Papercut Patterns website.  I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to understand how to tie wrap tops/dresses/anything, but this was the only way I could get the cardigan to look ok.  I don’t really notice the knot in the back when I sit down either, which is a plus.


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The pattern was easy to sew together even though the fabric I worked with was fluid and didn’t have a lot of body.  I stumbled at the hem facing section of the instructions because a) I was tired and b) logic was not on my side at the time, so if it wasn’t for those two factors, I could have finished this project in an afternoon.

All in all, get this pattern!  It’s definitely a “cake” piece and will get lots of wear in your closet with dresses, skirts, and jeans.

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Why I Love Sewing With Knits


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This is my finished Coppelia.  I was disappointed with the fit when I first tried the ballet cardigan on – look at how baggy it is!!  I cut out an XS, which matched my waist and hip measurement and had a slightly bigger bust measurement, but never expected the ease to be so dramatic.  If I wanted a loose, casual fit I wouldn’t mind how this turned out, but I was picturing a fit more like on the model.  I want to wear this over cute dresses this spring.


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Here’s another view with my arm down.  Look at the pooling of fabric at the underarm!  There’s a lot of excess going on here because the raglan depth is too large.

So what’s a girl to do?  Whip out her french curve and flexible ruler, roll up her sleeves, and get down to business.


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I tried the cardi on inside out and pinned the left sleeve and side to how I wanted it to fit.  After I took the cardi off, I marked with a chalk pencil where I placed the pins and used my curved ruler to “connect the dots” and smooth out the new sewing line.  After trying it on after sewing, to make sure I got the fit right on the left side, I used my flexible ruler and shaped it to mimic the new stitching line.  Then, I lined up the shaped ruler on the opposite side of my cardigan.  A little tracing, some more stitching, and boom – I took out all the excess fabric and got the fit I wanted.  It was a good two inches I took out of the underarm, can you believe it?

And that’s why I love sewing with knits – I don’t think I could have done a fit adjustment this easily with a woven garment.  Can you imagine correcting the armscye?  Not to say it’s impossible to do, but correcting ease is much simpler in a knit garment. The stretch nature of knit fabric is so forgiving and it’s easy to get the fit just right.

I’m sitting on my couch wearing my new cardi as I type this post.  I can’t wait to share pictures of the finished garment!

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