Or a cardigan. I really wanted something light and comfortable to wear on the long haul flight that I’ve just done, and happened to mention this to Sarah at my patternmaking class, and before I knew where I was we were into it!
As it happens, she had designed something almost exactly what I wanted for herself for a trip and I simply copied her design. Easy peasy.
Except… My fabric had a lovely selvedge and I wanted it to run round the outside of the dressing gown cardigan, but I had a little grown on collar and lapels, which meant that the front wasn’t straight. In the photo below, we cut up the side of the ruler and then round the front.
If you can follow the photos below, you can see that by cutting along the edge of the ruler, I got a separate strip which I seamed down the front edge and then coverstitched.
The top of the pockets also have the selvedge edge along them. I decided to reverse coverstitch round the pockets. I have done a tutorial for this if you are interested.
I used fabric that I bought in a Morrison sale a few months ago, which is ultra light, soft but surprisingly warm. However it has a huge amount of drape, which often translates to droop and the pockets are so large that I thought they might droop too much, so I very lightly interfaced them. I am really pleased with the result.
The photos below are taken in Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, where we spent a few hours admiring the tulips, talking to the gardeners, and generally smelling the flowers and breathing the air.
No, I’m not flashing the plants, I think I was attempting to show the back and sides. In retrospect – who knows what I was doing!!
I reverse coverstitched the hem as well, but the pockets are so big that the coverstitching on them intersected with the coverstitching on the hem and it looked a bit of a mess, so I pulled it out and coverstitched the hem in the normal way. 
Part of Queen Elizabeth Park has been created from a quarry, so there is a waterfall and some lovely rockfaces. I am completely smitten with all the lichen as I love lichen.
The views over Vancouver were pretty spectacular and I couldn’t resist posing with these bronze people who were, in fact, posing for a bronze photographer. The woman on the far left has a lovely handknitted jumper on.
It was the day for parks. We also went to the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens and were blown away with the beauty of it. Both of these gardens assailed all the senses and I really wish that I could somehow reproduce the smells here.
I was quite delighted to realise that my cardigan/secret dressing gown wasn’t too unfashionable. I read a couple of articles in fashion magazines to say that they are on trend, and then I saw this one in one of my local shops (Tiger Lily). It’s so unlike me to be on trend that I became rather perturbed that in a few weeks my new “thing” will be unfashionable.
anyway, meanwhile I’m going to enjoy it. It is so comfortable and a useful extra layer. Oh, and I didn’t wear it on the plane!
I wore the cardigan for the two days we were on the Rocky Mountaineer, but this is the only photo I got (actually I got more but Mark always seemed to have hamster cheeks) – we were too busy eating and drinking I suppose!
Love this! I see that dusters are in again – call it a duster and you’re tres chic.
What a great idea! I shall definitely call it a duster (except my husband may wipe the furniture with it!!)
Well, I think I would do anything to get my husband to dust the house…
Very funny!
Looks like one of those perfect pieces that can be worn in lots of circumstances.
I like the fabric very much
Thank you Norma, it is so soft I want to roll around in it.
Your captions are hilarious today, Sue! I laughed so hard I scared Tobi. Besides, your new long cardi is wonderfully original with the fringed borders – totally your stylish style. I can assure you it won’t go out of trend tomorrow! You and Mark look fantastic!
Thank you Hélène, you may get to see this one!
What a lovely thing–and so versatile for travel!
It has been the most useful thing I’ve brought on this trip.
Your cardi looks fabulous! Especially the fringes 😍😍😍😍
Thank you so much, I just couldn’t send those fringes to the bin!
This is gorgeous. Why didn’t I see that knit at the sale? I’m very interested in the neckline and selvedge method. I’ll have to have a closer look IRL!
This was in one of last year’s sales I think. it is unbelievably soft and is some sort of natural fibre. I will give you a closeup look at our next coffee meetup. Remind me to wear it!
Love the that – Alexei bought something similar at Peter Alexander and paid the earth! Very cosy. xx
Thanks Tania, it certainly is! This fabric cost $5 a metre and I used about 1.5m. You do the maths!!
In my opinion a cardigan must be cozy. Something you put on when you’re feeling cold and want to snug away and make you feel warmly and comfortable. The fringe finish looks great.
Another garment I would like to steal!
Hehe, such a simple make really – it was all about the fabric.
The is lovely Sue! I bought some of that exact same fabric at the Morrison sale too.. hmm *plotting* I like that you used the selvedge so creatively 🙂
“this” is lovely… etc!
Isn’t it divinely soft?
Such a useful garment…looks very soft and cosy and those selvedge edges are a lovely detail. Beautiful photos!
Thanks Jean, I just couldn’t throw those selvedges away!
Lovely cardigan! I think it will always be on trend. The park is such a gorgeous setting for your photos. Truly idyllic.