Tamlyn’s marlo!
I don’t know about you, but one of my favourite things about this time of year is the opportunity to wear big, snuggly jumpers and cardigans. I love mine to be oversized as it just takes the comfort level a few notches up and it feels like I’m wrapped in a blanket!
The instant the True Bias Marlo Sweater pattern was released last year, I fell in love. I just adored the shape and style of it, the sample garments looked gorgeous and it had the oversized style that I love. I made the cropped version in some sweatshirting fabric and I wear it all the time, but I really fancied making the longer version out of something a little different.
After browsing the Felicity Fabrics website, which is always a joy as it’s full to the brim with beautiful fabrics, I set my heart on their Boucle range – I just loved the rich melange colours and thought the texture would make a gorgeous cardigan. Boucle is actually one of the fabrics recommended by True Bias for this pattern, along with sweater knit, french terry, sweatshirting, rib knit and polar fleece. It is important that the fabric you use for the bindings has at least 20% stretch. Thankfully Fliss and Caroline were able to confirm that the boucle does indeed have 20% stretch – perfect!
I chose the Petrol/Black colourway of the fabric and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. I think it’s a really versatile colour that will match with lots of other things in my wardrobe. The melange effect gives the fabric depth and it also meant I didn’t have to worry too much about thread matching – black was going to be perfect!
I pre-washed the fabric, as I do with all of my fabrics, at 30 degrees and then hung it to air dry. I set up both my sewing machine and overlocker with black thread. I just used a universal needle in my machine, but chose a size 90 as the fabric is quite thick, especially if sewing through multiple layers.
In terms of sizing, I fell between a Size 10 and 12, however I just cut a straight size 10 as the finished garment measurements indicated a decent amount of ease. If you’re not a fan of the oversized look, I would definitely suggest sizing down though.
The construction of the Marlo comes together really quickly, particularly if you make the cropped version which doesn’t have pockets. However as I was making the longer version, and definitely did want to include pockets, I took my time with this step to get the shape correct and looking symmetrical. The rest of the garment came together super fast and I did it all straight on my overlocker (An overlocker isn’t essential, however, so don’t be put off sewing this pattern if you don’t own one).
Now, the eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed the lack of buttons on my cardigan. Well…I actually ordered three sets of beautiful buttons from Textile Garden (Other than Felicity Fabrics, they’re my ‘go to’ for amazing buttons). I debated for a long time over which buttons to use, even putting a plea out on my instagram page for help to decide.
My almost finished Marlo hung on my mannequin for weeks (Maybe even months – thank you so much for your patience, Fliss and Caroline). Then I finally decided to just get it finished…tried it on and realised it’s highly unlikely I would ever button this cardigan up. Therefore, what’s the point in adding buttonholes? I may possibly sew buttons on as a decorative feature, to add a bit of interest, but at the moment, I’m super happy with my cardigan as it is.
It’s the most lovely, snuggly, cosy garment I own – I would highly recommend using boucle for a cardigan if you haven’t before. Felicity Fabrics stock it in some gorgeous colours, although they are running low on stock so snap it up before they sell out completely!
Thank you so much for reading today – I hope I’ve inspired you to sew up something warm and cosy for Autumn/Winter,
Tamlyn xx
