Handmade by Carolyn

our newest pattern, the Meelup skirt!

25/11/2023 3:43 pm \ 7 Comments \ Carolyn

above; I’m wearing Meelup view A, made in a lightweight cotton canvas originally from Spotlight stores.

Hello! Cassie and I are very happy to announce the release of the latest addition to our Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co family; please give a warm welcome to the Meelup skirt!

above; a Meelup view B that I made last year; in a truly stunning cotton drill bought from Ikuntji Artists… this is a skirt that never fails to attract admiring comments, which is very nice!

The Meelup is a design I refined from my own skirt block quite a while ago now, and one I’ve subsequently made over and over again; twiddling the details… yes like our Pinjarra twinset from earlier in the year, this is definitely a tried and true style that both of us wear all year long, for any and all occasions. I suppose you could say that this year has been the Carolyn & Cassie Year of Reliable Basics 🙂

below; Cassie wears Meelup view B; made in a mint green raw silk inherited from my Mum’s stash…

The Meelup pattern is for a straight fitted skirt in two lengths, with a waistband and satisfactorily deep, slanted hip pockets.

The skirt requires no zip! instead ingeniously buttons closed over the left hip pocket. This is fair dinkum my absolutely favourite feature of the pattern. Well, maybe a close second to the pockets, maybe, which are seriously decent pockets if I say so myself. The silhouette is slim, but you will find you still have plenty of room to shove your hands comfortably in the pockets, no problem.

below; Lainey wears Meelup view A, in a very denim-like cotton duck in a lovely lush floral print. She is also wearing our Booragoon top in blue cotton jersey, and my Pinjarra cardigan in pink merino knit…

styled a bit more summer like

You can line the skirt if you like; we have provided separate pattern pieces for the lining, and instructions cover both making the lined skirt and the unlined skirt as well. I’ve made both lined and unlined versions for myself, but mostly lined for the versatility of them.

below; one of my own Meelups, view A, made in deep raspberry red cotton corduroy…

below; a recently made Meelup in quite heavy white linen. The length of this was was dictated by my length of fabric and falls about midway between views A and B

The new Meelup is now listed in our Etsy store here. To celebrate the release of our new pattern we ore offering a special, celebratory offer of 20% off for one week only. In fact, we are currently running a 20% off sale on ALL of our patterns, because why not… I guess we’re just feeling it this weekend! Please do enjoy and take advantage of this special price!

And we hope the Meelup becomes as much a loved and very well-used item in your sewing repertoire, just it has become one for us!

below; the Meelup view B features splits in the side seams to facilitate striding

below: another recently made Meelup, this one is a sort of mid length between size A and size B… made in a lightweight cotton canvas in a fun Batman print

Posted in: sewing \ Tagged: Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co, Meelup skirt, own design, skirt

pretty blouse, handbag, wallet, underthings, baby things and pink books

19/11/2023 2:31 pm \ 8 Comments \ Carolyn

I’ve been checking out all my as-yet unblogged things, and there are so many! I guess I’ve been in a real blogging slump this year. Anyway, apologies for the overloaded, as well as overdue! blog post, and here we go…!

Item 1: a pretty lingerie set. This is of course the Watson pattern by cloth habit, one I’ll be making for the rest of my life, I’m sure… just such a goodie. Same modifications I’ve always made. (see here)…

I had all the elastics and bits and pieces already, and a quite short length of bright neon yellow elastic, leftover from this set… it was fun incorporating a length of it in each piece!

Item 2; a pretty blouse. This is actually my most recently made thing… well, apart from a few samples for our new pattern, to be announced very soon, I hope!

This design is the new Nova pattern by Fibremood. It has a very interesting fluted neckline, that attracted me to it in the first place. I dunno, but I can’t resist a unique twist to a thing! and simply must try it out.

I used a length of pretty slightly brushed cotton, given to me by Mum when she cleaned out her stash. It’s lovely, isn’t it?! I added one pocket, just for fun, and threaded a length of elastic through each sleeve hem, a look that I really like lately.

The back has a centre-back seam with an invisible zip. Quite unnecessary, since I found you can pull it over your head quite easily. Something I like to do with the end of an invisible zip is to wrap the end with a little piece of fabric, since a lot of invisible zips seem to have almost imperceptible sharp bits at the end, that will torment you without pity if you don’t do something about it first.

Item 3; this cute little bag… I made this earlier this winter, using a kit from JT Tanner bought during lockdown actually!

It was an exceptionally beautiful kit and I really enjoyed putting it together, in spite of breaking all three of the provided needles! however I finally figured how to stitch through that tough tough leather without putting too much strain on the needles… :D. and am super happy with the quite profesh look of the final product!

I wore it a few times, but it had one small problem which ultimate led me to my next project…

Item 4; a little wallet. My new bag is awesome, but my current purse doesn’t fit into it at all, and since the bag is such that a loose credit card or cash would easily fall out of the gaps, I decided that I needed a customised purse! Yes, I’m admittedly weird about not immediately shopping for things at the moment and I also I do like to challenge myself, ergo; I decided to have a go at making one.

There was one failed version before this final one, failed only because I cut the zip too short and it couldn’t flip out open completely; but this one is nearly perfect, I’m happy to report.

I didn’t want to use any of my precious leather just yet! although I might be ready to go there soon; instead I used charcoal felt, that I bought to make a stuffed toy at some point (still unblogged, whoops!). Fortunately I still have a huge number of oddly coloured zips that Mum gave me at some point, and found two matching ones. The wallet took a bit of very careful measuring and lining up, and I am pretty proud of the final precision.

It has a whole lot of card slots, a zipped coin compartment, one separate car slot that I was initially intending to have a clear plastic window in it, but couldn’t found the right plastic on hand and didn’t want to go out and source any either. C’est la vie! Oh, and also a bellowed pocket for bills/notes. This time I carefully made sure the wallet could flip open fully and lie flat.

I agonised on how to put in the zip, finish the raw edges, and eventually bound the edges with matching charcoal linen – the same stuff I used to line the card slots and coin pocket. I hand stitched the linen binding down inside, and then finally glued the outer layer over the top. I wasn’t sure how the glueing would work out, but it has nicely stiffened up the final product in a very satisfactory way.

And it fits into the bag perfectly!

Item 5; I’m not sure if I’ve posted this before? if not here tis… a baby onesie for our friend’s baby. Design is my own, and yes, I used the leftovers for my Watson set, above!

Item 6, 7, 8, 9

some new little books. I always save and cut up the leftover paper from paper patterns and make little books from them. It’s fun to do this and makes me feel virtuously zero waste. All materials are waste scraps and leftovers from other projects. I have one in my handbag all the time and use it all the time, and they make nice gifts too, I think!

I think that’s enough for now? Anyway, I’ll be back with more soon!

Posted in: sewing, Uncategorized \ Tagged: accessories, bag, bookbinding, cloth habit, daily outfit, fibre mood, handmade book, jt tanner, leatherwork, lingerie, nova, own design, purse, top, watson

a patchwork dress

13/11/2023 6:18 pm \ 12 Comments \ Carolyn

Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I haven’t blogged this dress yet… this post (sans any text at all, ahem) has been in my drafts for over a year now! I feel so neglectful of this thing… it spite of the fact that it’s something I’m very proud of!

Quite a few years ago now, I bought a whole lot of lovely linens from Tessuti Fabrics in Melbourne, while over there on a visit with Mum and Cassie. Aren’t the colours gorgeous?!

I always planned a patchwork thing pretty much exactly like it finally turned out… ! So lucky!

I cut a whole bunch of squares; the ones closest to the top of the dress are quarter the size of the squares in the middle, which themselves are a quarter the size of the biggest squares around the hemline. Piecing them so as to have the colours arranged randomly was a minor but very enjoyable challenge.

Early on I posted the above picture to instagram, to which someone (kindly and without ill-intent) commented that the shaping could all be done in the seams keeping up the appearance of perfect squares everywhere. And I knew straight away that that was a borderline impossible task. I’m perfectly aware that this commenter meant really well but the comment still somehow left me totally paralysed with the weight of expectation. I know, it’s silly; but I guess it’s my fault for sharing progress shots of things I’m making. Somehow doing so seems to frequently lead to a similar outcome.

Anyway, as a result; the project spent the next few months in limbo. I did finally pick it up, left it again, picked it up again, and finally managed to limp through to the finish line, all the time painfully aware that I had failed to achieve aforementioned shaping while keeping the squares perfectly square. I shouldn’t have felt like a failure, but you know. Such a feeling can’t be helped sometimes…

But I am very happy in the end, and even I wore it to Frocktails one year too. It was actually a freezing cold night and it had to be covered up with a warm woolly cardigan most of the night, more’s the pity!

The halter neck design with rather complex, uber swishy skirt is my own, of course; custom fit to my dummy Bessie. It even has pockets, which were actually kind of a nightmare in the patchworked side seams. It also has a side zip, so as to disturb the patchwork as little as possible. The above picture is the initial, unhemmed version, which looks kind of cool but was unfortunately impossible to walk in from being too too long. The final look is a good compromise between a good length, and being able to walk without tripping. A nice balance!

Final take; I am so so proud of this dress, so am kinda bewildered at my complete failure to blog it before now. Well, at least I finally got this, final step finished too. It’s been a fun dress to wear , so beautifully swishy and comfy, and it never fails to garner lots of attention and compliments. So in conclusion; I cannot be happier with it!

Posted in: sewing, Uncategorized \ Tagged: daily outfit, dress, own design, patchwork

Original Digby Julie tunic dress/ tops

05/11/2023 6:11 pm \ 1 Comment \ Carolyn

Hello!

Finally posting some other new things I’ve made this year…

Item 1; a love floaty top for summer. Actually to be specific, I think this is the dress version of the pattern! however it’s kinda short on me thus I am wearing it with a skirt here. And I will probably choose to wear it with shorts or a skirt over summer.

The pattern is the new pattern by Original Digby patterns, the Julie blouse and dress… it’s so pretty isn’t it? I absolutely love it! I kinda want to rush out and buy prettier fabric in like a softer colour, or even something printed, like a floral or something; but you know. Stash busting is still going on over here. Anyway.

So, this is the longest version of the pattern. I added inseam side pockets, just because I like to have them in everything nowadays and am not readily prepared to go without. My fabric is a very lightweight cotton, I think originally from a Morrison seconds sale. It’s quite good for the design, but maybe not strictly “flowy” enough for those lovely softly gathered panels. I think in a very lightweight chiffon or crepe the gathers would fall and flutter beautifully. However I am still very happy!

I hand-stitched the button loop as instructed, and think this looks really nice; however to be honest I’m able to just slip the dress straight over my head, with no need to unbutton. It’s ok thought, because I can appreciate the long slit and button makes the back yoke look more interesting. The instructions for constructing this bit was really good and I enjoyed the lovely clean finish both inside and out that you get at the end of it.

The sleeve pieces are absolutely massive and the result is lovely in my opinion! a very pretty, half pirate-y, half mediaeval sort of effect!

Just secretly, although I am putting this out on the internet, hehe, for the whole world to read should they so choose! but still; just secretly…. I have started doing some embroidery on the yoke. I saw this embroidery design on Etsy and got inspired enough to purchase, ahem. I’ve made a small start. Hmmm. This might take me a while.

Item 2; hehe, I just realised the skirt I’m wearing is as yet unblogged too! It’s just one of the test runs for our new skirt pattern, due to be released very soon, we hope! The Batman cotton drill is from Spotlight, and was leftover for a cushion I made for Theo when he was a tiny bub.

The skirt is fully lined and is a joy to wear. More on our new pattern in a very short space of time, I hope! I think it’s a terrific basic and one I’ve made and wear a lot.

I’m wearing it with a very old T-shirt made absolute yonks ago…

Finally, I made a second version of the Original Digby Julie blouse… hoo yes I managed to find some prettier and silkier and flowy-er fabric…. IN LE STASH what’s more! Whatup?! I knew I could dig up some more appropriate fabric if I really tried. One was just not trying hard enough, that’s all.

This is a silky stuff inherited from Mum’s stash. It’s absolutely gorgeous and feels beautiful against the skin but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s not precisely “pure” silk. Most likely spun from the sloughed off cocoons of the Plasticus Bottleus variety of silkworm, ahem. Anyway, how pretty is it? that’s all that counts really. I’m wearing it with yet another new skirt, white linen, fully lined; also our new pattern, hehe. To be revealed soon!

It’s hard to believe, but I STILL have as yet unblogged things to share here! Until then, mwaaah!

Posted in: sewing \ Tagged: blouse, Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co, Julie blouse, Meelup, Original Digby patterns, Perth, shirt, skirt

pumpkin spice… plus some lovely sea-foamy green things

28/10/2023 5:19 pm \ 5 Comments \ Carolyn

Hello! I’ve finished making a few new things, both from deep deep stash. I can’t stress enough how happy it makes me feel to be methodically using up ye olde stash! I feel so virtuous. Particularly since such a lot of it was not even bought by me in the first place, but foisted upon me – and I must say here that I truly do appreciate everything that has been given to me, many many pieces have proved to be very lovely and beautiful quality, and very useful too when it comes to testing patterns and new designs! It is also true though that I am at a stage in my life when I want to whittle it down, for good. I have dreams of a more minimalist future, and I’m determined to see it through.

Firstly; a new dress for me, using a pattern that has become a favourite; the Deer and Doe Myosotis dress pattern. Such a pretty and feminine design; I think I might have to always have one hanging in my wardrobe. My blue and white gingham Myosotis is currently being worn by Cassie as a maternity dress, and quite successfully too! quite telling as to how comfortable it is.

The fabric is a quite nice, soft-pumpkin silk crepe, very lightweight and floaty, almost translucent. I’m definitely going to be wearing this with a slip, I think.

I honestly cannot remember where I bought this fabric, or even if I did buy it; and if not, who gave it to me? Honestly a complete mystery! Which makes me think it was most likely part of a stash that I inherited at some point. No matter! I do really like it and I think the colour suits me very well.

Item 2! a little knitted jacket and beanie set for Cassie’s new baby… the last time I went down to stay with my parents I bought this little pattern pamphlet from a yarn and quilting shop in Bridgetown; Naturally Yarns K679. I wanted to get something for the baby, and also to support a local business, but honestly felt very conflicted about buying a finished something when I SHOULD be using up my own supplies…. anyway I did achieve kind of both.

This set is the 6-9 month size. All yarns are from the very large yarn stash that I’ve inherited over time – and no; I am NOT accepting new submissions! I really think I could have a lifetime of knitting ahead of me, no purchase necessary… It was pretty fun though, to try to make the scraps that I had into some sort of design idea, and I’m very pleased with the outcome! I literally used up the entirety of ALL these yarns, with the exception of a small amount of the lime green yarn used for the beanie and collar. It’s the most thrilling thing to successfully use up yarn, and use it up even semi-aesthetically. I know, right?!! SO proud!!

Finally, item 3; and this is sadly not from my own stash, but from Cassie’s. I volunteered to make up one of the fabrics she had bought for her summer/autumn breast-feeding friendly wardrobe. What else to make but one of our own Yallingup designs?! We both believe in this design so thoroughly and it’s a little sad that it has not been as popular as we were hoping. I wonder if it’s not clear that the regular, and the breast-feeding friendly version are actually separate designs, even though they look the same from the outside?

Anyway, we both love it! and Cassie has made up quite a few more of the breast-feeding friendly versions herself for her time with this new baby. And this is one that I made for her.

The fabric is a Nano Iro Air Time design in colour way B.. it’s so beautiful it would make literally anything look absolutely amazing. Hey, I still believe that our Yallingup is independently beautiful too though! I could not fit the pattern pieces onto the small piece of fabric in the traditional way, so the front and back are top to toe, and the wrap piece is cut on the cross, with the tail ends of the tie cut and pieced from the scraps.

I had to cut the facing from a separate piece of plain white cotton, through lack of fabric. She’s modelling it here, 8+ months pregnant, sure it’s a little short but it’s not too bad for a non-maternity design! It’s going to be even better once she’s out of the pregnant stage, and into the breast-feeding stage which is what it’s designed for.

That’s it for now! I still have a few, unphotographed and yet to be blogged things up my sleeve! Until then… 🙂

Posted in: sewing \ Tagged: baby clothes, babywear, Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co, daily outfit, deer and doe patterns, dress, knitting, Myosotis, naturally yarns K679, stash busting, Wardrobe Refashion, yallingup

Sunset Ocean check and Cornflower mini-check

21/10/2023 12:22 pm \ 2 Comments \ Carolyn

Hello! I made all four of these summery new things featured here during the depths of winter actually, and took a whole lot of photos whilst also wearing thick tights and boots… but obviously the vibe was strange! so here I am, the weather a little more appropriate. I was maybe a little too optimistic for warm weather at the time. Silly me.

These fabrics are both linens from Maai Design; in Sunset Ocean check and the co-ordinating blue is Cornflower mini check. With careful cutting I managed to get four items from my lengths of fabric and use up every single scrap! two tops, a hat and a skirt. I absolutely love it when I can have no leftovers.

Item 1; a Yallingup top in the Sunset Ocean check. This pattern is one of our own Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co designs… I’m a big believer in this top, it’s truly a lovely design to wear in summer. So comfy and breezy.

Item 2; a matching skirt. This is a Burdastyle pattern, 03/2016; 101 (A-line skirt pattern). I thought this pattern would be perfect for the fabric but truthfully it really requires a slightly thicker and beefier fabric to hold up this welt pockets. It’s fine though, really; I’m very happy with this skirt and am excited to wear it! I really love how the checks look cut on the bias for the lower panels. I was lucky to find a perfect, pale blue invisible zip already in the stash.

Item 3; a blouse in the Cornflower mini-check. This is another of our own Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co designs, with shortened sleeves due to not quite enough fabric, and a big patch pocket just for fun. Throughout I topstitched with a pink thread, also just for fun, although it barely shows up! Button also from stash.

Item 4; a hat. This is the Elbe Textiles Sorrento bucket hat, that I’ve made many many times before. I made it reversible, with the ocean sunset one side and the cornflower mini check on the other side. Now I just need bathers to match! This photo makes me smile, this is one of about 100 identical trips to and from the ocean with Theo to fill up that little watering can. He absolutely LOVES the beach and we spent hours there happily playing in the sand and wading in the shallows, Theo chortling like mad. Such a joyful day, I hope this photo helps me to remember this time.

I’m also wearing these bathers, made using my favourite vintage McCalls pattern, and my beach cover up, made using the Closet Core patterns Charlie caftan pattern.

I’ve still got more unblogged things to share soon! until then. 🙂

Posted in: sewing \ Tagged: burdastyle 03/2016-101, Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co, elbe sewing patterns, hat, Perth, skirt, sorrento bucket hat, Theo, top, yallingup

black velvet hoodie jacket and matching skirt

12/10/2023 4:21 pm \ 3 Comments \ Carolyn

Hello! long time no blog… I’ve been having a few technological issues. Specifically, my lovely loyal computer started dying and then… did die *pause for a moment’s silence* Towards the end it was impossible to do anything without everything crashing …. life was becoming terribly frustrating. Traumatic times! Anyway, long story short; I have a lovely new computer now! Yes, that was the short version, thank goodness for that!

Anyway, time for me to blog some of the things I’ve been making… oh I noticed just today that my blog is just about exactly 14? years old now? Happy bloggiversary to me! I can hardly believe it, how time has zoomed by!

So, I made this skirt and hoodie jacket set a little while ago… this is exactly the sort of thing I love to wear during winter and I’m excited to wear it in autumn too. The fabric is quite warm but the sleeves of the jacket are short, so I can see it being pretty good during the seasonal change too.

Patterns: the jacket is Burdastyle 10/2009, 108; a pattern I have used once before, here. This time I fully lined the jacket, and did not put in any piping.

The skirt is the new Fibremood Marah pattern, available here. I cut the mini version, just bit longer. It’s a pretty cute pattern, like a jeans skirt with a front fly and slanted side pockets. Plus the usual back patch pockets, and for good measure two extra big pockets at the side too. These match the big patch pockets on my jacket, which is quite nice I think.

Fabrics; the mustard patterned black velvet is a fairly heavy upholstery fabric that was given to me years ago by a friend, who was cleaning out her mother-in-law’s stash. It’s almost got thrown out multiple times, but I’ve always saved it at the last minute because it’s really not too bad. I cut the pockets and hoodie from a mustard/caramel cotton corduroy, leftovers from a pair of jeans I made years ago. It matches the pattern on the velvet perfectly! like it was meant to be.

I lined both pieces with a deep olive green lining fabric, from old stash. Yes, actually both fabrics are from old old stash and even the zip was recycled. I’m still using my supplies up as much as I can! I haven’t bought any new fabric this year! although I might allow myself one new piece. My friends gave me a Fabulous Fabrics voucher for my birthday and I would like to use it before the year is out. That’s ok, because this year I have managed to get my stash right down to about a third of what it used to be. I’m so happy about that!

Also recently; I made a new pair of Fridgetown hand warmers for my daughter-in-law Kelly. I’d given her a pair a few years ago; when we first created the pattern, and she’s worn them threadbare! So thrilled that she loved them so much! and she requested a new pair for her birthday. Preferably they would go nicely with this navy and white striped hoodie that I made for her even more years ago, and that she still wears very regularly. I happened to have a just-big-enough length of cranberry merino, leftover from this T-shirt I made for myself a few years ago and ran up the handwarmers. It’s so nice to have family who likes to wear the things that I make for them; truly I do not take this for granted! The Fridgetown hand warmer pattern is available here.

Posted in: sewing \ Tagged: Burdastyle 10/2009-108, Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co, fibremood, fridgetown, handwarmers, hoodie, jacket, marah skirt, skirt

the Pinjarra twinset

31/07/2023 8:00 pm \ 4 Comments \ Carolyn

At last! Cassie and I are thrilled to release our latest pattern in the Carolyn & Cassie Pattern Co oeuvre… please welcome the Pinjarra twinset!

A twinset? What on earth…?! you may be thinking/asking! Well, the Pinjarra twinset is specifically, a cardigan with a long necktie/collarline, and a long sleeved T-shirt/tee/skivvy with two collar options, one a higher loose turtleneck and the other a more scooped neckline with a skinny band to finish. A little wardrobe concept that once upon a time was called a twinset! This particular set of designs is a pattern I’ve used for myself over and over and over again and wear it very frequently; so I can confidently attest to its usefulness and versatility as a really good basic.

And as a special introductory offer we are offering the new pdf pattern with a 20% discount for the first week of its debut; that is until Monday 7th August! It is currently available in our Carolyn and Cassie Pattern Co Etsy store, here.

Although I have quite a few already I made a new Pinjarra cardigan to celebrate the pattern being finished and ready to release… I bought this very beautiful pink double merino jersey from the Fabric Store in Melbourne when we went there for Harry Potter. It’s so beautiful! Incidentally I’m wearing a new skirt with it too; this is once of my favourite patterns the Paprika Patterns Jade mini skirt. I’ve made this stacks of times too. This is a cotton jersey from Le Stash, of course… 🙂 The ivory tee underneath is another early Pinjarra, made a couple of years ago.

This turtleneck neckline is one I have been making the longest and I absolutely love it for winter.

I made a set for Mum too! using a black cotton jersey and some of the blue/grey cotton jersey for the neck tie… I think the contrasting necktie is very chic! A variation that gives it a slightly different look, even a little more formal looking, perhaps?

Cassie made a striped Pinjarra cardigan, with shorter sleeves, thanks to not quite enough fabric! This looks so cool, in my opinion! She is wearing it with the grey maternity skirt I made for her recently, using Burda 7023…

And here she is wearing my yellow Pinjarra cardigan, the pink Pinjarra tee I made for her last year, and the navy blue Burda 7023 maternity skirt that I made recently too. How lovely is this combination for work? I think she looks elegant and professional 🙂

The following is a little history of the Pinjarra evolution, which may or may not be interesting at all. But this is my blog which I think has all this documented over the years anyway, so why not summarise?

As I’ve long documented here; my original go-to T-shirt pattern was a Burda pattern that didn’t fit so I fine-tuned it to better fit me (blogged about here). Then I switched to the Closet Core Nettie pattern, that was pretty good but I eventually started improving the fit of that one too, until it ended up completely different from the pattern, with absolutely zero of the original seamlines left. At some point I rediscovered my modified Burda pattern and overlaid it with my modified Nettie and it was pretty interesting to me that my modifications were nearly identical! Anyway, long and short was that I now started to think of and use this as my personal custom fit T-shirt block and it became my basis for all stretch fit bodices.

the earliest iteration of the cardigan design, 2015

My first cardigan prototype appeared back here in 2015, although that one is of course quite different from this final, far more polished design. Every time I’ve made it I’ve twiddled with the design and I now feel like it’s a really nice robust cardigan with a good construction procedure.

I got the idea to make the two of them a twinset pattern back when I made the above marigold yellow, matching two piece set, blogged here. The tee’s final neckline is a little lower that this one as I thought this one a little high. Yes; I have thought long and hard about these little things! At this point I started working on the two necklines, grading the pattern, and writing instructions. And Cassie of course did her essential digital part. Et voila! the Pinjarra twinset is now here!

The name? Well, “twinset” has always sort of suggested to me, rightly or wrongly, the kind of thing a grandmother would have worn regularly once upon a time; since actually both of my own grandmothers did. And Cassie’s grandmother lives in Pinjarra. So it felt like a good fit. And having a pattern named Pinjarra seems fair since my mother, Cassie’s other grandmother, lives in Bridgetown and we’ve already used the name Bridgetown in our Fridgetown handwarmers pattern.

But I honestly think the Pinjarra is a pretty cool design and not particularly grandmother-ly one way or the other either. More like a really a good basic that absolutely anyone could wear!

another early iteration of the cardigan….

The pattern is currently available in our etsy shop, here. Remember that 20% discount for the next week! We hope you enjoy making and wearing either or all parts of the Pinjarra twinset as much as we have!