Striped Swallow Designs Girls Lost Coast Cardigan

I recently got the opportunity to test a cardigan for Striped Swallow Designs for my daughter Tabitha. She will be turning 8 next month and has such a sweet spirit. For today’s post, I will review the pattern and also chat a little about parenting. I hope you find something encouraging from my post.

The Pattern

The Lost Coast Cardigan is a children’s cardigan pattern with raglan sleeves. The size range covers sizes 2T to 14. A women’s pattern is also available separately.  There are optional belt loops and a belt tie as well as pockets. The arms are finished with a cuff, and the bottom is finished with a simple hem. I think it has the perfect amount of ease to use to layer over long sleeves.

The pattern has the option of a shawl collar or a hood. I made the shawl collar and lined the reverse with a pink contrast.  The instructions have you tack part of the collar down to create the shawl affect. I made a size 7 for my daughter based on her measurements. Tabitha did not want a belt or pockets on it, so it was a rather quick sew for me. The pattern came together really easily and has gotten a lot of use already.

I used a soft French terry from a Knitpop auction box that feels like a rayon blend with spandex. If I made the pattern again, I would make it all solid so that she could wear it with some of her floral dresses. I feel that making it out of one of my pretty florals limits how many outfits it will go with. She still loves it though and has been wearing it with all her patterned clothes.

She paired it for the photoshoot with her unicorn Greenstyle Slope Tank (a free kids pattern that I blogged about here).

Notes from Mom Life

She cut her hair. Many kids do this at some point in their lives. BUT she did not want to cut her hair. She got slime stuck in it, and instead of asking for help, she took care of it. BIG SIGH. She wore a hat the first day, which I remember thinking was strange. Her sister later told me what happened. When I went to inspect and found just how much she had cut, which was most of the top, I cried again. She cried too and was so embarrassed and scared to tell me.

We got to have one of those long talks. The ones where I pray that I am saying the right words in a way that she understands and remembers. I really wasn’t sad about the hair. I was more sad about realizing that she did not run to me when she needed help. She has told me for the last several years how she wanted to have long hair. It took quite a long time to grow out as a baby and was very short for so long. She had finally gotten it to a length that she loved. BUT She felt in that moment that cutting off her hair was easier than telling mom that she got slime stuck in it.

So my long mom talk, which included lots of hugs, told her that she will find herself throughout her life in situations that are hard and that she can always ask for help without judgment. I am not here to punish her for every bad thing happening, rather I am here to help her and pick her up when life gets messy. She never has to make a choice so drastic and hide her problems. I told her that mom’s arms will always be open and ready no matter how difficult the situation may feel at the time.

Maybe I over-reacted and over-dealt with the situation, but I knew what a big deal this was to her. I also really felt like it was such a teaching moment that I will need when she is a teenager. I really want to have already set the tone that she doesn’t need to hide whatever crazy thing comes her way in life (even by her own doing).

I am so glad she has a stash of big bows. It has been a few weeks since she cut it so it is starting to grow. You can see the short bangs poking out under her bows. I am not sure how it is going to look when the short top underneath the bow starts to show more. Hopefully a very talented stylist can give me some pointers. Surely she isn’t the first girl to cut all the top of her hair.

I was also so happy that after our talk she was so willing to let me sign her up for a pattern test and get her right back in front of the camera. It made me feel like all of my words reassuring her of her beauty sunk in. She was so concerned that she looked like a boy. This parenting gig is the most important and hardest thing I have done in my life. I feel so blessed and happy to get to walk alongside my children and try to use every moment to teach them and plant words in their hearts for their future.

Thanks so much for reading my blog! I hope I have inspired you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. You may follow me on Instagram or receive updates by liking my page on Facebook. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Disclosures: I received this pattern for free as part of the testing process to give the designer feedback about the instructions and fit of the pattern. This post also may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. There is no cost to you.  Any and all opinions expressed are my own.

Resources

1. The free tank pattern that she is wearing under her cardigan can be found here.
2. The pattern for her cardigan can be found here.
3. The fabric I used for her cardigan came from Knitpop.