Castillo Cardigan by Itch to Stitch

This year I have been all about sewing layering pieces. This is one area of my wardrobe that has been lacking quite a bit, even though I wear them all the time. As we begin to transition into summer, I appreciate an easy layering piece even more.

The Castillo Cardigan by Itch to Stitch is exactly what I needed.

The Castillo Cardigan has a raglan sleeve with shoulder darts to give a great fit! I love the casual feel of the open cardigan, with the side slits and the hood.

Oh, and lets not forget about the pockets!! The best cardigans have pockets!

I would say this is a great beginner project. The pattern does walk you through binding the hood seam with twill tape, which might be a little intimidating for beginners. If you were nervous about that step, you could easily skip it, but it could also be a great opportunity to push yourself to learn a new skill. The pockets are the other area that could be considered tricky for a beginner (but I feel that way about all patch pockets). Once again, you could easily leave the pockets off if you wanted, but in my opinion they are worth adding. I actually used a glue stick to stick my pockets in place before I sewed them. I use just normal, washable Elmers glue and it really works great. I put a bit of glue along the seam allowance and that keeps it from sliding around. It really takes the stress out of sewing on the patch pockets.

Now, lets talk fabric 🙂 This fabric is a bit out of my comfort zone, but I have been trying to push to be more adventurous with my fabric choices. I got this sweater knit from the LA Fashion District last fall. I kind of think it is a perfect layering piece to go with all of my graphic tees (and I have a lot).

I think this is the perfect, end of winter sewing project, but since we are already in the mid-seventies in Arizona, I suppose I should start sewing for summer (even though winter sewing is more fun 😉

The Castillo Cardigan is available from the Itch to Stitch pattern shop.