Bimaa sweater - Pattern review

Some time in January this year I decided to take my sewing skills(!) to the next level by working with knits!


As usual I turned to the Internet for learning the how-to. I came across a series of interviews (a.k.a KNITerviews) hosted by the multi-talented Rae. Each post contained invaluable insights from many bloggers and served to boost my confidence.  I was particularly thrilled that one can sew with knits without a serger. So I decided to take the plunge without further hesitation.

I just needed to find a pattern that'd be easy enough for beginners like me. That's when I read the reviews on the Bimaa sweater. Attracted by the cuteness of its cowl neck, I went ahead and bought the pattern (available on Etsy).

The pattern called for a 4way stretch knit. So I searched high and low and finally got two yards of a floral print from Hancock's.

This fabric is 56" wide. And I loved the floral print so much that I decided not to mask it with a cowl (ironic, I know!). So I only needed 1/4 yard of the fabric. I cut out a size 3T for the body (what was I thinking?!) and 2T for the sleeves. I skipped the bottom band since the fabric rolled nicely. Of course the neck turned out to be low for my two year old!  So I simply sewed on a piece of rectangle to the front neckline.

Pairs well with jeans!

 As you can see, this is more of a knit top than a sweater. But I like it this way. I still have a lot of this beautiful fabric left. May be someday (before Sweet outgrows hers) I will make a matching top for myself ;).

Overall, this is a great pattern for beginners.  I just used the regular needle, cotton thread, regular foot and the stretch stitch option in my Brother without the need for a serger!! You just need a lot of patience and pins :).

Hope this post motivates you to start sewing with knits :).