A third trimester Blackwood cardigan

For me, the Blackwood Cardigan by Helen’s Closet is a real tried n true pattern. I have lots of different versions of it now (I’ll be sharing the others too at some point), and it makes a great wardrobe staple.

As my pregnancy progressed and I fit into fewer clothes, I needed some neutral layers to wear over the few items I could still fit into while pregnant, and would transition into my post-pregnancy wardrobe. The Blackwood Cardigan was a perfect choice. I knew it fit well on me, it’s designed not to fasten and so I knew it’d work well with my belly.

Then this super soft blue fabric popped up on the Sew me Sunshine Insta stories, and I just had to have it. That it matched with my Oliver Bonas style fabric (now my Myosotis dress) was a happy accident – I’m delighted they go so well together.

Sewing up the Blackwood is pretty easy. The most difficult parts are at the beginning of the construction – adding the pockets is a bit fiddly, and the fabric can stretch out, but nothing a bit of steam can’t fix. I’m far from an expert at sewing with jersey, and I have stretched out some of the seams, but nobody other than a sewist would notice. I sewed the entire thing on the sewing machine.