Hen's "Banbury Cross" cardigan

I wanted to share with you all a really sweet version of the Banbury Cross cardigan pattern that a customer recently sent me! Isn't the houndstooth the cutest? Well done, Hen!

Shannon's Banbury Cross Cardigan

I'm a little late in posting this thanks to a certain new addition at our house -- almost all of my free time goes toward napping or cleaning the house these days! But I wanted to draw your attention to Shannon's adorable version of the Banbury Cross Cardigan for her toddler son. I love the tweedy look of the sweater she used! Shannon was kind enough to give her thoughts on the pattern, along with the photos of her finished sweater, so head over to Thoughts and Thimbles and check out her post on A Little Something for a Little Man!

Simone's Banbury Cross Cardigan

I was thrilled recently to receive the first photos of a cardigan created (by someone other than me, haha) with my Banbury Cross Cardigan pattern! Simone was one of the winners of the Deep Roots at Home giveaway and lost no time in creating an adorable and thrifty cardigan of her own. She's put her own creative stamp on it by using contrasting colors, which I love. She also took advantage of the existing button placket on the adult-sized cardigan to save herself a bit of work. Hop on over to her new blog, Sew Simi, and see for yourself!

If you have made a cardigan from the pattern, I would love to see pictures! Send me an e-mail (my contact info is in my Blogger profile) or leave a comment with a link to your blog, if you've posted about it.

Giveaway winner!

The "Banbury Cross Cardigan" e-pattern giveaway ended last night, so this morning I tallied up your entries and drew a name out of a hat! Congratulations to the winner, Nancy! Nancy, please send me an e-mail at kcimedl (at) hotmail (dot) com so I can send you your pattern. :) As a reminder, the 20% off code "WELCOMEFALL" is good through the end of tomorrow (Wednesday) in my Etsy shop, and Deep Roots at Home's giveaway of two patterns is open through Saturday.

Again, thank you so much, everyone, for all the positive comments and support! I'm really blown away by your enthusiasm. It has been so encouraging!

Another chance to win at "Deep Roots at Home"

Just wanted to let you know that my lovely friend Jacqueline at Deep Roots at Home is also hosting a giveaway of my new pattern, with two winners. So if you'd like another chance to win your own copy, head on over to her blog and enter the giveaway!

Thanks so much for all the support and wonderful comments; I appreciate your kindness more than I can express! Have a splendid weekend -- we are having a really exciting one, which I will share more about soon! :)

Introducing the "Banbury Cross Cardigan" e-pattern + giveaway!

Well, it's September now and you may be getting signs of cooler days to come. If you're feeling the lure of more autumnal sewing projects, I'm excited to be offering a PDF e-pattern of my Banbury Cross Cardigan design!




This is a sewing pattern in four sizes (six months, 12 months, two years, and three years) designed to be cut from a recycled adult sweater. Yes, you can sew the sweater fabric just like any other knit! The green cardigan that Edmund is modeling in the photos began its life as an Abercrombie & Fitch 100% shetland wool sweater that I found at the thrift store. It had a few moth holes, but with some strategic cutting I was able to give it a new look! Lavinia's cardigan was a creamy acrylic ladies' sweater with a sewn-in ivory charmeuse collar. You'd never be able to tell, would you? It's really a unisex pattern that can work for both boys and girls. You can play up the "English gent" look by choosing muted colors, leather or horn buttons, and tweedy elbow patches. Or, I think the cardigan would look really feminine and cute sewn up in a brighter color, with coordinating floral cotton elbow patches and quirkily mis-matched buttons! There's lots of room for creativity.


You may remember my first design here, and my redesign the following year. Last year I began working on grading the pattern into different sizes, creating an e-pattern, and writing instructions. The entire process has been the biggest learning challenge for me, and I must thank my husband Douglas for all his help, as this project never would have gotten off the ground if he wasn't around to be my patient instructor! I've worked hard to make sure the pattern is easy to use and well-designed. I think beginner sewists could tackle this, provided you are comfortable sewing knits and buttonholes (although, if the buttonholes are holding you back, you could easily replace them with hand-sewn snaps instead!).


So, without further ado, here is the link to my newly-opened Etsy shop where you may purchase your very own copy! This first opening week, I am offering the pattern at a special introductory price of 20% off. Use the coupon code WELCOMEFALL to receive your discount at checkout, good through Wednesday, September 11.


Also, I would like your help to spread the word about this pattern, so I'm offering a giveaway of a copy of the Banbury Cross Cardigan e-pattern to one reader! :) Just leave a comment below and you'll be automatically entered in the random drawing. For extra entries, you can:

• share a link to this post (http://quietudeblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/introducing-banbury-cross-cardigan-e.html) and/or my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/QuietudeBlog/) on Facebook, Twitter, and/or your blog (extra entry for each of those actions)
• pin any of the images from my Etsy shop to your Pinterest board
• Add QuietudeBlog to your favorite shops on Etsy
• Add the Banbury Cross Cardigan pattern to your favorite items on Etsy
• "like" Quietude on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/quietudeblog)

Just let me know which things you did in a comment and I'll add your extra entries! Please be sure to leave a correct e-mail address, either in your comment or in your blogger profile, so that I can send you the pattern if you're the winner. The giveaway is open until 11:59PM (CST) on Monday, September 9. Thanks, everyone, and happy September!