Trying Babylock’s Dolman Cardigan Patterns

I tried out Babylock Japan’s two open-front cardigan patterns with dolman sleeves, then added my own alterations to create my final version. Here’s how the patterns compare.

Take 1: Babylock Dolman Cardigan Pattern

Here is Babylock’s dolman cardigan pattern:

I sewed up a prototype with this pink knit fabric I didn’t like the colour of 😀

My thoughts about the pattern (size M):

• It’s a sporty pattern; the break up of the yoke is nice.
• 3/4 sleeves are actually handy for working in and doing housework.
• The hips are way too narrow; the bottom half of the cardigan sits behind me. (It appears to be designed this way, but it looks like it’s not fitting.)
• Neck and sleeve cuffs could be a narrower so it doesn’t need to be folded behind the neck.

Take 2: Babylock Bolero Pattern

Here is Babylock’s bolero cardigan pattern:

The difference between their dolman cardigan pattern above are:

Comparing to the previous pattern, this one is less sporty and more conventional.

My thoughts about the Bolero pattern (free size):

• Sleeve and neck cuffs (10cm panels) are narrow as it becomes 4cm, and could be increased by ~2cmx2.
• Overall length could be reduced by about 5cm before adding the hem.
• Width at the hips should be increased slightly so it can fit loosely on top of a top.
• Sleeves were too long, I reduced it by <5cm before adding the cuffs.

Take 3: My altered pattern

The two open cardigan patterns from Babylock Japan were almost there, but not quite for me. I wanted an open cardigan that loosely fits my hips and with sleeves that can be full length or folded to 3/4.

So I used the first Dolman Cardigan pattern as the base, then made the following changes:

• Increased the sleeve cuff length to 15cm (x2 mirrored) so that it can be folded in half to become 3/4 sleeves.
• Shortened the length from the back neckline to top of the hem to 50cm, and adjusted the front curve to suit.
• Increased the width at the shortened hem to 27cm (x2 mirrored)
• Shortened the yoke height by 1cm.
• Increased the collar/hem width to be 7.5cm (x2 mirrored).

The changes to the pattern looked like below:

My pattern on its own:

Differences while sewing:

And, the third time was a charm! It looks great and fits well.

Comparing all 3 patterns

Below is a superimposed comparison of the cardigan patterns: BL Dolman Cardigan (blue), BL Bolero (pink), and my altered KeiMade Cardi (black).

Made from rugby jumper fabric, my final cardigan is thick and sturdy. It’s shorter, and the sleeves can be worn long for full coverage, or folded up to 3/4 length when extra freedom of movement is needed, like during housework. 😄