Autumn Cardigan Sewing Pattern Review: Laurelhurst and Drop Pocket

I always feel a little sad when it starts getting too chilly to wear my summery tops, so I usually continue wearing them well into the fall with cardigans over them. So I’m going to show you a couple of my favorite DIY cardis for you to make in today’s autumn cardigan sewing pattern review!

I actually sewed these a few years ago and also a few years apart (hence my different glasses) and just never ended up publishing them. But this way, after years of use, I can confirm that I love wearing all of them!

In this autumn cardigan sewing pattern review I will show you the Drop Pocket Cardigan by Jalie and the Laurelhurst by Straight Stitch Designs*.

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Two autumn cardigan sewing pattern reviews

Drop Pocket Cardigan

The Drop Pocket Cardigan by Jalie has a really cool design featuring big pockets built into the bottom, with the front which folds into the pocket.

This interesting design is a wonderful way to show off contrasting fabrics. You can either use the contrast fabric for the inside (folding onto the outside of the pockets) as I did, or the front pieces.

The sleeves are snug, so you can only wear it over a sleeveless top or dress.

You must use fabric with a good amount of stretch. I used French Terry, which is just barely stretchy enough. I would like to make another one with regular jersey or perhaps a stretchier thick fabric, like a stretch velour.

Pros:

• Unique style which showcases fabric colors and/or prints
• Big pockets
• You can use a variety of stretch fabrics
• Instructions in English and French
• PDF pattern download with home-printable file and large format copyshop version
• There is an online tutorial with photos showing how to sew it.

Cons:

• Jalie is a relatively big pattern company, so their instructions are like the other big companies: very concise, sometimes too much so. While most indie designer patterns have very clear, detailed instructions, Jalies’ instructions are sometimes a bit enigmatic and confusing to follow. However, in the case of this pattern, there is the online tutorial I linked to above which is very helpful.
• The sleeves are quite tight, so you can’t layer it over T-shirts or long-sleeve shirts.
• The front is not designed to close in front, so you can’t pull it closed if it suddenly gets chilly.

Overall, I really like this garment and definitely am considering making another. The last two cons I listed make it wearable for a shorter period of the year (the in-between seasons that tend to get shorter every year!). However I like that it allows me to wear tank tops to school before it closes for summer, so I like that.

Get the Drop Pocket Cardigan PDF pattern here!

Laurelhurst

I’ll start off with the fact that I love supporting independent pattern designers, and Kimberly from Straight Stitch Designs* is a a designer with a style I really like: simple garments with a unique touch.

At one point I saw Kimberly on Instagram wearing her Laurelhurst* in a gorgeous fuzzy looking fabric. It looked so snuggly and warm, I asked her what fabric it was, and I bought the exact same fabric (a textured boucle sweater knit in cream with black specks from StyleMaker Fabrics – and no, they don’t stock it anymore) and the pattern that same day.

The Laurenhurst is a pretty simple cardigan with a draped front. It looks fancy, but it’s really just a rectangle of fabric extending to the front. Very simple!

Also making it simple is that the edges are not finished off in this pattern because it calls for knit fabrics, which don’t fray.

There is also a detail behind the neck where the fabric folds inward to create a soft fold of fabric, which is more resistant than just a cut piece of fabric. It also helps shape a sort of faux-collar which leads to the draped front.

You can wear it so that it drapes down, but you can also cover your front with it if you get chilly. There are even have optional instructions on adding a buttonhole and button to hold the front closed. This, combined with the fact that the sleeves are wide enough to wear long sleeves under, makes it easier to use in chillier weather.

(And if you use a super snuggly sweater knit like I did, you can wear it throughout the winter, too!)

I always appreciate the swingy factor in a garment, too! Those big front panels are fun to play around with!

The Laurenhurst has two sleeve lengths, so I decided to make a warmer weather version with 3/4 sleeves and regular jersey knit.

This version is great to pop on over a tank top (here shown one of my Collette Sorbettos) in the summer when it starts getting cool at sundown.

From the back, the Laurelhurst looks like any normal top. But you get a nice surprise at the front!

I realized once I started cutting the pattern from this fabric that I wouldn’t be able to fit everything in the cut of fabric I had. So I cut the side panel in half, adding seam allowance to both pieces, and that way I was able to fit in the smaller pieces. I sewed them together and then sewed the rest as normal.

In the picture above (the inside of the cardigan) you can see the patched-together sides (under the sleeve holes) as well as the fold of fabric behind the neck.

Below you can see again the patched-together side and the extended front piece which drapes down.

Pros:

• You can use a variety of stretch fabrics
• Optional button closure in front
• Raw edges – no hemming or edge finishing needed
• Sleeves and style allowing for wearing long sleeves underneath
• Support indie pattern designers
• Contact information in case of questions (another reason why I love indie designers!)
• PDF pattern download with home-printable file and large format copyshop version

Cons:

• Raw edges. I know that I put that in the pros above, however I usually prefer finishing off my edges for a nicer look. There are, however, no indications on when/how to do so. This particularly bothered me with my sweater knit version because little bits of fabric pulled off the edges. I ended up just using a narrow hem setting with three threads on my overlock machine on all raw edges. However you need to do it at the right time. I finished the top edge off before folding the neck curve down, and finished off all the other edges when I was done sewing the garment.

Overall, I give this pattern two thumbs up. I like how easy it is to sew and how versatile for wearing according to the type of fabric used. I’ve already sewn two and consider sewing another.

Get the Laurelhurst PDF pattern here!

So, which one do you want to try first? The Drop Pocket Cardigan or the Laurelhurst*?

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