Marlo Sweater by True Bias

The True Bias Marlo Sweater pattern came out last winter, and I’ve been eyeing this oversized cardigan as a potential winter staple ever since. There are a lot of gorgeous Marlos in the IG hashtag, but the one that Sienna from Not a Primary Color made won me over completely, and I decided to make one for myself.

I’d been eyeing this lemongrass yellow waffle knit from a couple of different fabric shops, and when I saw how beautifully it sewed up into Sienna’s Marlo, I didn’t hesitate. This is the waffle knit and matching rib from Blackbird fabrics (now sold out), which has 5% spandex and a good 4-way stretch.

I made a size 14, which is where the size chart puts me (40.5 inch bust). The only adjustments I made were to add 1 inch to the sleeve length because I’m tall, and I wanted to make sure that the sleeves were sufficiently slouchy on me. It’s a very relaxed fit, with 8 inches of positive ease in the bust and slightly less through the hip. You could easily size down 1 or 2 sizes if you wanted a slightly snugger fit.

I don’t pay attention to fashion trends, but I have noticed that yellow is popping up everywhere in my feed lately. I have to admit I’ve become rather smitten with yellow lately, in part due to a recent revelation that I like how I look in warm-toned colors after a lifetime of mostly wearing blue and black.

If you follow me on IG, you got a sneak peak of the construction process that I used for this sweater a few weeks ago. The instructions for this sweater are generally good, and it’s a very quick and easy sew. The one thing I did differently was in attaching the neckband; the instructions give you an easy and an intermediate option for how to do it, and I opted for the latter because it gives a cleaner finish inside the garment. However, I ignored the diagram and pinned the neckband to the body of the sweater using pins parallel to the seam line. The instructions show pinning perpendicular, but that is likely to make your stitching line uneven on the wrong side.

I also spent a long time obsessing over the right buttons for this sweater, and finally found the perfect vintage shell set on Ebay for a song. They are 1 1/8 inch diameter, which is the largest buttonhole length my sewing machine will sew automatically. Typically, on a woven garment you’d want your button hole to be a little larger than your button diameter, but luckily with this ribbing, my button holes have a little stretch and can accommodate the buttons just fine.

I’m quite happy with how this project turned out, and this pattern will indeed become a staple for me. I’ve got a few more Marlos planned, and I’m hoping to squeeze them in before spring arrives.