Cropped Mustard Cardigan. The True Bias Marlo

Life and other commitments seem to have been getting in the way of personal sewing and blogging lately however I’m back today to share my new cropped mustard cardigan, the True Bias Marlo and if you check out the hashtag on Instagram you can see just how popular it is with all ages and sizes.

I’ve never used a True Bias pattern before but I have to say it was an enjoyable experience from start to finish. It’s a nicely drafted pattern with two good size ranges (you can get sizes 0-18 and 14- 30) and nice clear instructions.

The Marlo comes in two lengths there’s a high hip length without pockets and a low hip length with pockets. I decided to put the pockets on my short length after seeing a fabulous version by my lovely friend Karen. My fabric is a lovely soft cotton and polyester blend sweatshirting with some mechanical stretch (similar to the fabric I used here). It came from Croft Mill but is currently out of stock, but do check out their other fabrics though as they’re a great shop.

Cropped Mustard Cardigan, the True Bias Marlo Sizing And My Alterations

Before I talk about my sewing and finishing methods I’ll quickly go over sizing and pattern alterations. So I studied the size charts and went with a size 8 which seemed to have the right amount of ease for my personal taste. It is fairly oversized so do bear that in mind. The length was spot on for me (the patterns are drafted for 5’5″ height) but I needed a bit extra at the front so I added an inch and compensated for it at the side seams with a small bust dart which actually gets mostly hidden by the pockets. True Bias patterns are drafted for a C cup so if you’re bigger you might need a complete FBA or at the very least a small bust dart like mine if you find that your bust is causing draglines. Oh, and the final alteration was to bring the shoulder seam forwards for my forward-rolling shoulders.

I sewed up my cardigan with a combination of a slight zigzag stitch and my overlocker to neaten seams. I used a jersey needle size 80.

To get those neat curved corners on my pockets I sewed short sections of gathering thread to draw up the seam allowance into a curve and then I basted them on really thoroughly before topstitching.

The neckband has interfacing where the buttons and buttonholes go and this made the buttonhole sewing process run really smoothly for me. There’s a seam at the centre back of the neckband but if like me there isn’t much stretch in your fabric you might need to angle the seam taking more out at the fold line edge to encourage the band to sit snugly and curve around the neck.

I’m guessing that you can’t have helped but notice the fact that there’s a centre-back seam in my cardi and this isn’t actually part of the design. When I’d nearly finished my Marlo and tried it on it seemed to stick out a bit at the back (blame my posture) and it was a little loose around my hip. I ended up unpicking the lower band for several inches at the back and created a centre-back seam as I took some width out. Let’s call it a design feature!

Overall I’m really pleased with my Marlo cardigan. It’s actually my first time wearing mustard too and I have to say that I’m rather liking it 🙂 I’d definitely make the pattern again as I certainly need lots of warm layers now that I’m being a bit more frugal with our central heating as I’m sure many of us are at the moment. Bring on those cosy knits!

So tell me…what are your Winter sewing plans? Share them in the comments and also, tell let me know whether or not you’ve sewn a True Bias pattern before, or maybe you’ve made a Marlo already.

See you soon!