As my longtime readers know, I have often struggled to find a winning combination where a handknitted sweater shows off a handsewn outfit or vice versa. Even my latest outfit, the Unst cardigan paired with Simplicity 2444, was not ultimately satisfactory. As I looked at the photos later, I realized that the neckline of the sweater did not harmonize with the neckline of the dress. The mismatch looks a bit sloppy. I'm sure blocking the right top edge of the cardigan will help but the two shapes at the neck really don't go together.
It turns out that the sweetheart neckline, which looks great on me in a standalone dress, does not necessarily go with a crew-neck sweater. I actually went through my closet trying on my Unst cardigan with a bunch of tops and realized that the neckline of this Marie Wallin knit is unusually low (maybe this is the fault of my execution of this pattern?) and so most blouses/dresses show through at the top of the sweater collar which is not flattering. So I’m considering drafting a new neckline for a dress bodice in future just to match this sweater one day.
However, I have found one sweater + sewn combination that does seem to work reliably for me. It is a cropped sweater plus an A-line skirt. The outfit above is a dress I made by adding a self-drafted top to the Hollyburn skirt pattern. And I think it goes pretty well with the matching magenta lovenote sweater. The dress also looks great on its own, not just when it's paired with a knitted top, so I feel it's more versatile than my version of Simplicity 2444.
In order to make the 2444 pattern more versatile, I have gone back to the drawing board and drafted a new version with a round neck. I just can't use the original, boat neck version. That is NOT a good look for me!
It seems there is a lot of trial and error involved in this process of trying to create a handmade wardrobe that I was not aware of before I began. So I’ll keep sharing my adventures with you in case you are able to learn from my mistakes and so achieve more success as you are crafting your own clothes!