A Sweater Refashion and a Sewing Milestone

Maybe it is more of a mom milestone than a sewing milestone, but when I gave her this sweater she hugged me. Doesn't seem like a big deal to you, then you must not have a daughter stuck in the awkward years right before the teens. They don't hug, they just scowl mostly.

She loves this sweater so much that she wears it everywhere. She refuses to take it off, much like the winter boots that she insists on wearing in the spring.

So why is this a milestone? It means that I am learning enough about my daughter to make her clothes that she loves. I have said it before, and I will say it again.

You can learn so much about your kids just by studying the clothes they like. It's a window into their personality.

Now back to the sweater. I started with a my own favorite sweater that had become an unfortunate victim of my bad laundry habits. (I just dump the hamper into the washer without looking)  It shrunk to the point where the stretch marks on my belly where exposed for all the world to see, but I couldn't bare to part with it.

After reading this tutorial from Girl Inspired I decided that this sweater still had a few years of being loved left in it. For the most part I followed the instructions with just a few adjustments for my daughters style preferences  She doesn't do ruffles or flowers.

I didn't make any changes to the hood because it had always been a little small on me. I also left the mini sleeve pocket in tact because it's awesome.

The sweater originally had raglan sleeves and I was bored with making them after the Mixed Fabric Raglan Tee so I changed them up. In retrospect, I probably should have stayed with the original design. Other than that I love the cardigan. Ashley loves the cardigan (and me). So the whole project is a success. 

Now all that is left to do is get her to stay still long enough to get pictures!