Being a Knitwear Designer: The Scrap Sweater

Ever since browsing a Desigual in the Barcelona airport a few weeks ago, I have been obsessed with the thought of patchwork. Now I know what you're thinking, patchwork can be lameness x 1000. But somehow, walking through aisles and aisles of tastefully done and yes even fashionable patchwork, I was hooked.

Since that day I have worked tirelessly on a patchwork sweater that I hope will be bright enough to be fun and toned down enough to be practical. So far, I'm in love with the way it looks and am quite hopeful that it will have been an excellent use of those final scraps which I can't seem to part with, and worth all the time and trouble of stitching together about 100 patches of different shapes.

Here is the original design sketch I made. I chose yarn in a variety of bright colors: mostly red, lavender, and blues, with a large running whip stitch of gold throughout. For the cuffs, hem, collar, and belt, I chose a topey brown color.

Today I finished rough stitching with the gold thread and put all the pieces together. I also added the cuffs and collar. I'll be putting up pictures as soon as I finish the final sewing of all the patches!

In the meantime, here are some pictures of cool patchwork to get you thinking!

This BEAUTIFUL coat made by BrendaAbdullah on Etsy. Check her out!