The Completed Aurelia Cardigan

The past week has been the busiest week I've had all summer, and it finally ended today with me competing in a triathlon this morning.  Feeling good about the week being over and having survived the triathlon which included swimming in the pond at the James Island County Park (green, slimy, with dog park run-off), I decided I better sew the Aurelia Cardigan so I can get back on track to conquer my goal of sewing twenty patterns.
I've had a couple of people following my blog who have asked me if I am going to be positive about every pattern I sew (because I have so far) and not be honest reviewing the patterns because my store sells them.  The main purpose of this blog is to help you know which patterns are great patterns to sew while giving you tips to help you complete them more successfully than I did. With that in mind, I will be perfectly honest in my review of each pattern since the purpose of this blog isn't to sell patterns.  I have really liked the first 8 patterns I have sewn even though I haven't always been happy with the finished project (like the Anna Maria Horner shirt I carelessly cut a hole into), and I strongly recommend them to you.  Pattern 9, the Aurelia Cardigan, did not turn out as I had hoped.  The completed cardigan looked so poorly on me that I convinced my 13 year old step-daughter to pose for the picture wearing the cardigan.

It looks much more flattering on her than it did on me, but she did not like the cardigan either.  I was really annoyed and slightly upset that I spent money on making this cardigan that no one wanted to wear, but I did finally find someone in my household it looked really good on.

Shelby Rose, my viszla, really liked the cardigan and wore it around the house for some time!
So what is wrong with the Aurelia Cardigan?
I did not like the fit of the cardigan at all.  The extra ruffle layer of woven sewn to the knit made my hips look much bigger, something I try to avoid with every outfit!  If the cardigan was made with all knit, it would probably look better so I would recommend not following the suggested fabrics listed on the pattern.  Also, the ruffles on the neckline bodice keep flipping out so the serged seams show which I could not prevent even after topstitching as the directions instructed.  The waistline of the cardigan where the first ruffle begins also has clear elastic sewn on to make the cardigan more fitted, but I did not see where this step helped the look of the cardigan at all.  Regarding the instructions, I found them more difficult to follow than the other patterns I reviewed.  There were not enough illustrations for me to follow as I read the directions, and being a very visual learner, this made the pattern even more difficult for me.  The Aurelia Cardigan is a Sew Liberated Pattern, the same company that brought us the Schoolhouse Tunic, one of  the best patterns around!  We also have a Sew Liberated book that has been very popular, so I hope this review will not discourage you from buying other Sew Liberated products.  You may even make the Aurelia Cardigan and find that it looks wonderful on you.  If you would like to give it a try, the store will have this pattern 40% off this week.  I'd love for you to prove me wrong!  In the mean time, Shelby Rose has a new cardigan for Fall!