Remix: Heart of Gold

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Cardigan: Eugenie Cashmere – Remixed

Dress: Crossroads

Shoes: Yeswalker

It’s hot in Australia at the moment. WAY too hot for a wooly cardigan, but I did the trek out to my favourite cashmere shop Eugenie anyway, knowing that this is when they have ridiculously good savings on their beautiful cashmere basics.

I had my eye on the cropped crew-neck cardigan, which I’d seen on sale for $99 down from $199, because I had a special remix in mind.

Elbow patches.

I’d needle felted a set of heart appliques onto the elbows of cardigan previously, but I had in mind something a little more glamorous for the cashmere cardigan.

SEQUIN elbow patches.

I bought the cardigan in the cream, thinking it would be versatile, and would be perfect over florally frocks as the weather turned colder (it’s officially autumn…. it’ll happen eventually). DSCF0806

Pretty boring, huh? I didn’t love the grey buttons, so they were the first things to go. I dropped into Clegs and bought sparkly diamante buttons with which to replace them:

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Next up to choose my preferred appliqué fabric. I was tossing up between matte gold sequins and plain red fabric, so I put the choice out to Twitter. You guys came back with gold sequins, but when I went into the Clegs they had RED SEQUINS. Just like Dorothy’s ruby slippers. So I bought 20 cms of both. (Just covering my bases)

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Making the hearts is easy.

Fold a piece of paper in half, then cut half a heart shape on the fold:

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Voila! Heart template

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Lay your template down on the non-sequinned side of your fabric and pin it in place. Using sharp scissors (though probably not your best fabric scissors, the sequins will destroy the blades) cut around the heart, then repeat for the second heart.

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The sequinned fabric won’t fray, so you don’t need to finish the edges, but if you’re persnickety like me you can remove any half-sequins that you may have cut through by easing them out with tweezers, just so you don’t have any sharp edges.

At this point I put down both gold and red hearts to help me reach a decision. I thought the red looked AMAZING, but the gold was more understated and would be more versatile. So I played it safe and went the gold. It’s a cashmere cardigan…. I want to be able to wear it ALL the time!

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Put the cardigan on, then pin the hearts into place on the elbows.

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Take the cardigan off and compare the two sleeves to make sure the hearts are properly lined up, and straight against the seamsDSCF0810

OK! Now you’re ready to sew!

I did mine by hand, partly because I wasn’t quite sure how machine sewing sequinned fabric would work, partly because machine sewing long sleeves is annoying and fraught with danger, and partly because I thought hand-stitching would be easier to unpick should I decide again sequinned elbow patches some time in the future (as if!).

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I used a basic fell stitch to attach the heart, and always fed my needle through the centre of a sequin, so it’s pretty sturdily attached.

The finished product is a bit gorgeous, if I do say so myself.

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….. and I didn’t let those red hearts go to waste, either

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31 thoughts on “Remix: Heart of Gold

  1. I have just stumbled across this.. I adore your style, thank you so much for sharing.. It is so wonderful to see beautiful outfits they aren’t over the top.. Sometimes I feel the fashion for us fuller figured women can be really limited or the wrong colour/cut/pattern.. Thank you so much again for sharing and restoring my faith in fashion, just gorgeous 🙂

  2. looks great! I have a wonderful soft Scottish cashmere cardigan that was given to me as a gift. The colour (deep pink) is not quite me, but the fabric is so delicious I’m determined to find a way to wear it. Perhaps some remixing? Have you ever used woolovers? They’re pretty cheap for basic knits in various weights with a huge range of colours and NATURAL FIBRES (inc some cashmere blends). I bought a few cardies last year and they’re still holding up pretty well, though they loose points for buttons not being stitched on strongly enough.

    1. Oh yum! I have ordered from Woolovers, but the cashmere blend cardigan I got was a bit scratchy. I’d definitely go back but I need to get the size right. I’ve bought cashmere from Pure Cashmere before, too, and they’re great and not too expensive.

  3. Love, love, love! The gold hearts are the perfect choice for the cream cardigan & looks utterly divine with your floral dresses. Who’d have thought sequins could look fabulous yet understated at the same time.

    BTW I am perilously close to ordering that burgundy skirt from ASOS & seeing it on you has me planning to go back for a second look…especially as they have just sent me a 20% off code!

  4. I want I want I want!!!!!
    I love the cardi with those gold hearts! I also really want a cashmere cardi- do u know when their sale ends?
    Also love the Dorothy red hearts on the navy spots!

    1. LOL, thanks Shelly!
      I think it runs until they don’t have stock anymore 🙂 I think…. might be worth dropping them a line and confirming though

  5. Wow that looks amazing! I saw your red heart one on instagram and thought you’d hand embroidered each sequin!! This way is so simple and effective 😀

  6. So cute! How do you find the quality and sizing of your ballet flats from Yeswalker? They have free worldwide shipping, and I am mighty tempted.

    1. Actually pretty good. I’m going to put up a review in a few days. I bought a yellow pair of shoes too, and I wasn’t as lucky with those though 🙁

  7. love the sequins in both colours, but you were right to go with the gold on the cream cardigan. And it looks very professional 🙂

    1. Thanks Catherine 🙂
      I’m pretty happy with the gold & I have heaps of sequin fabric left over in both colours, so I’l trying to figure out what my next project should be!

    1. Thanks Susan! I hope my instructions make sense, sometimes I get a bit carried away, and when I go back and read it I think “that wasn’t very clear!”

  8. Really nice idea ! I should do something similar with my old black cardigan which I found a bit dull now.

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