Working on My Shawl-Collared Cardigan -- McCalls 5267

A few updates, readers:

With my mother's robe out of the way, my menswear sewing class completed, and the double-breasted toile de jouy blazer put aside, it's time for me to return my attention to my shawl-collared cardigan.



 I've decided not to make a double-breasted blazer for now.  Instead, I will most likely make a single-breasted blazer using the chambray-type cotton/linen blend we talked about last week.  I tried on my toile blazer and I like it a lot, but I'm not going to get a lot of use out of a jacket I have to keep buttoned all the time.  Especially in the summer.

But back to the sweater.  My fabric is this Italian cotton knit I bought last month.





This morning I got to work.  The only alteration I've made so far is to widen the torso a smidge at the hip.  It's cut quite narrow.



This knit is thick and I wasn't sure how I wanted to finish my seam allowances.  I decided that the side seams look best with the seam allowances pressed open and lying flat.  So I'm not going to serge them but instead will likely whipstitch them down by hand.  Sometimes a serged seam can feel lumpy (or wavy) especially with a lofty fabric that may not feed smoothly through the machine.





I interfaced the collar with knit interfacing from Steinlauf & Stoller.  I tested a few different interfacings to find the one that worked best.  It needs to be able to support a buttonhole.



I did serge the seam allowance that attaches the collar to the torso (and I'll probably handstitch the serged seam allowance down so it lies completely flat), as well as the bottom edge of the cardigan and bottom edge of the sleeve (before hemming) and the armhole.







And that's it.

It certainly would have been easier to just serge everything (as I did with my mother's robe).  I'd rather have the inside look a little more homemade but have the outside smoother and more elegant.  It's a tradeoff.

Here's a peek, with a lot of finishing still to be done -- and pockets too.   But you get the idea.  I like it!



Do you every hand-finish seam allowances on knits instead of serging (for whatever reason)?

Have a great day, everybody!