A Christmas Gift for the Mr. - McCalls M6803

Back in my post on Great Hand Sewn Gifts for the Man in Your Life I mentioned McCalls M6803 as a pattern for making a cardigan for your man.  That was because I was making one for my husband.

Because the weather has been a bit rainy and cold it took some time to get some pictures taken, but I am very happy with how the cardigan turned out.

He seems to really like it.  The mister is six foot four inches tall, and it is rare that he has clothing that is well fitting.  Sleeves with a little slack in them are a real rarity.

I really like the style of it.  It has a little bit of a hipster vibe, but is still perfectly acceptable for him to wear on casual Friday.

McCalls M6803 was a really great pattern.  The instructions were clear and concise.  The only changes that I had to make were to add two inches of length to the body of the cardigan and to the sleeves.  However, after adding the two inches to the sleeves I ended up removing them.  My husband has a 37 inch sleeve length, so if I were sewing this for an average height man, I am sure there would be quite a bit of length coming out of the pattern sleeve.  This is an unisex pattern, so for women there would also be quite a bit of excess sleeve length.

I sewed the cardigan primarily on the serger but had to use my regular machine for button holes and top stitching.  My top stitches ended up kind of blending in to the fabric.  I ended up making view D of the pattern which included a drifter style collar and single welt pockets.  I was happy with how the welt pockets turned out.

I didn't realize that I hadn't quite gotten all the chalk off the front of the button band.  Funny how the camera can pick up things that you just don't see with the naked eye.

I felt like the contrasting navy banding was just perfect for breaking the marled fabric up a bit.  I don't think that I would have been nearly as happy with the cardigan had I not gone with contrasting trim pieces.  Were I making this again I would take about ten percent of the length out of the lower band so as to create a little bit of a stretchy band effect like on the bottom of a bomber jacket.

In truth the cardigan needed one more good ironing.  There were still marks from the clapper where I pressed the welts, and some of the seams had not been pressed at all.  But all and all I am really happy with how this turned out, and my husband is really happy with it as well, which is what is really important.

***I want to say a big Thank You to the Taxman Brewing Co. in Bargersville for allowing us to use their facade for these pictures.  If you live in or around Indy or Columbus, or even Brown County for that matter, you should make the trek to Bargersville to see what this new brewery has to offer.  From classic Gastro Pub eats like Burgers and Belgian Fries (with beer cheese for dipping) to a Sunday brunch with items like Catfish and Grits and Steak Benedict, they have something for everyone.  Their beers range from a light Farmhouse Ale to a very dark (yet not too bitter) Quadrupel style beer.  These beers are complex, and worth the drive for a taste.  If you haven't made your New Year's Eve plans, I hear they still have a few tickets left for their bash.***