Jennifer Lauren Handmade Juniper Cardigan Pattern Review

Today I get to share with you this fun Juniper Cardigan pattern from Jennifer Lauren Handmade. I love to wear cardigans because the open front makes for easy breastfeeding access and Texas weather is generally rather mild so it works perfect for so many seasons. I was very excited when I was selected to review the pattern because I have been needing a slimmer fitting cardigan. This one fit the bill perfectly.

I chose this French Terry fabric from Sincerely Rylee because it is incredibly soft. I also loved the weight of it. Since I received it in a mystery box during her amazing Black Friday sale, I am not entirely sure of its fiber content. It has very good recovery, though, so it has a nice amount of spandex that makes it perfect for the negative ease in the bust of this pattern. To be honest, I initially was unsure of the fabric. I probably would not have ordered it if it was on a list of hundreds of other prints, but I think the softness of it won me over. Then, when it became a soft and squishy finished product, I was so happy with it. Sometimes, you just have to trust Darcey (the owner of Sincerely Rylee)!

Now, let’s get to the pattern review.

(1) Pattern details. This is pdf pattern that has pages that need to be trimmed. I like this because my printer has been known to pull pages unevenly, and this helps me to get the pattern cut out just right. The pages are numbered so that you can easily keep them in order, which is really nice for me because I have been known to lose pages when cutting out patterns (because I cut out patterns while homeschooling the kids!) Also, she includes a nice layout of the pages to show which pages to print for each view. There are two views – a cropped length with 3/4 sleeves or a long length with long sleeves. I chose the long length. The sleeve has a saddle shoulder, which is a great design feature. If I make another, I would love to do a contrasting sleeve to show off this feature. The saddle shoulder is like a perfect marriage between a raglan and a set-in sleeve. Such a delicious feature!

(2) Fit. My measurements are as follows: overbust – 32 inches, full bust 35-36 inches (depending on the last time that I nursed, this could be more), waist – 28 inches, and hips – 36.5 inches. I made a size 10 but graded to a size 8 for the hips. I felt like the fit was spot on for me. I am 5’2″ and did not shorten the sleeves or bodice. I really like where the length hit me as drafted and was very happy with the fit. It has the perfect amount of ease to be worn over a tank top or a long sleeve shirt without being too baggy in the arms.

(3) Construction and Instructions. The instructions were very thorough. I feel that a confident beginner who is very unfamiliar with sewing terms and fabric types could take this pattern as is and have a beautiful finished product. The pattern had notches so that everything matched perfectly. I really liked how she included instructions for interfacing the button placket so that it did not stretch. I did not attach buttons or snaps because I never use them on my cardigans.

Would I sew this again? Yes, I would love to have several more of these in my closet. I particularly need some solid ones that coordinate will with many outfits. It can be so hard to force myself to buy solids because there are all these big beautiful florals and prints in the world.

What did I not like about this pattern? Pockets!! She has a free add-on for patch pockets in her store, but I did not see it until after I had already made my cardigan. I felt they may break up the floral, though, so I never went back and added them. My next cardigans will have pockets!

You can grab a copy of the Juniper Pattern here. Don’t forget to also grab the patch pocket add-on here and read her blog instructions for attaching the patch pocket here.

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