Canyon Cardigan vs Boyfriend Cardigan – Love Notions

@islandsewcialist

Sewing Cardigans for Fall! #patternsale #lovenotions #cardigan #sewing #sewingtiktok #fallfashion #fallsewing

♬ original sound – islandsewcialist

Apparently it’s the Fall season! What do I know about that? Not a thing! But I do know I love a good cardigan! Love Notions has got a few cardigan patterns that I know you guys will absolutely love but you may be stuck trying to decide which one to get in the 40% off sitewide sale. I am here to pick apart two cardigan patterns in the quest to help you make your choice! I made two different views of the Canyon Cardigan and two of the Boyfriend Cardigan. Let’s get into this comparison!

Here are the Canyon and Boyfriend Cardigans’ line drawings side by side. Let’s play a game of Spot the Differences!

Sizing

• Canyon is offered in sizes XS – 3X
• Boyfriend is offered in sizes XS – 5X with a Full Bust option
• Canyon will be updated within the upcoming year!
• Boyfriend also has a Girls’ version in sizes 2T – 16

Fit

• Canyon has a fitted bodice with a flowy skirt in 3 styles: a-line, gathered & waterfall
• Boyfriend has a straighter fit that is more streamlined

Lengths

• Canyon is offered in one length – it hits around the hip area
• Boyfriend has 2 length variations: mid-thigh and duster

Sleeves

• Canyon has regular set in sleeves intended to start at the shoulder bone
• Boyfriend has drop shoulder sleeves
• Canyon has 3 sleeve options: vest, 3/4 & long (The sleeveless vest has a separate cut line for the armscye)
• Boyfriend has long sleeves

Collar Bands

• Canyon has 2 options: Views A & B have a slimmer band, View C has a wider band
• Boyfriend has 3 options: Shawl collar, hood, or straight band

Pockets

• Canyon has optional inseam pockets that attach at the waist seam
• Boyfriend has optional drop/ patch pockets

Extras

• Canyon has optional elbow patches
• Boyfriend has side vents

Skill Level

Both cardigans are recommended for Confident Beginners

Now that you have an overview of the pattern details for the Canyon and Boyfriend Cardigans, let’s have a look at my 4 versions, the options I chose, and my fabric choices.

Rayon Jersey Canyon Vest

First up is the Canyon Vest. I have to admit this is my favourite of them all just because I know I’ll get so much wear out of it. It’s still so hot here… the flow of this Canyon Vest is all I need in my life right now. I chose View C, which has the lovely waterfall draped skirt and the wider band. My fabric is super lightweight and stretchy, so I went down a size to the Medium since I really don’t need to layer it over anything thick. The back of the skirt has an inverted pleat which adds a cute detail. The armholes are finished with an armhole binding piece that surprisingly didn’t give me any trouble with this rayon spandex. I initially didn’t make any alterations, BUT I found a snag in the fabric. Thank goodness it was close to the hem so I could just cut it off. I have no idea how I missed those big holes in the fabric when I was cutting. I ended up having to cut off 2.75″ from the hem to get rid of those ugly holes. Luckily, the length is still okay on me. Phew! The hem is left raw because I was skeptical to hem the rayon spandex and I just really love how flowy it is with the raw hem.

ITY Canyon Cardigan

This Canyon Cardigan I actually made a few months ago. I cut a Large not realizing I needed to size down because of how stretchy my fabric is plus I most likely would just wear it over a cami. It’s still cute though! This was pretty much my mock up version so I used an ITY knit. We have a crazy amount of ITY knits on island, all different prints and colours so I tend to use ITY a lot for toiles, as opposed to my precious knits I had to import. For this one, I chose the gathered skirt view and I just adore the babydoll style! 3/4 sleeves were perfect for this red leopard beauty! Again, it’s super flowy and has a nice loose fit. I have to say though, I prefer the wider band on the waterfall version over this thinner band.

Poly Spandex Rib Boyfriend Cardigan

This one is my husband’s favourite. It’s a thigh length Boyfriend Cardigan made up in glittery gold poly spandex rib knit. The base is actually black so the entire wrong side is just the black rib, while the right side is covered in gold sparkles. The shawl collar was my design choice and it was a no brainer to have the collar band sewn with the plain black wrong side instead to add some contrast. I also turned up the sleeve hems to show off the plain black wrong side and scrunched them up, probably how I’d wear this in real life. I omitted the side vents because this slinky fabric was a pain to work with and my machine wasn’t having it. I really wanted to avoid too much topstitching. This is the reason I omitted the pockets too but I kinda want to add them in the plain black. Should I? This again, is a size down from my regular size. I made M instead of L. Hundred percent should have graded out at the hip (oops!) but I like the fit on the upper body and the sleeves are very roomy. P.S. This fabric is way too clingy for my liking! Ugh!

Stretch Velvet Boyfriend Duster

I am sure you have seen this one before. I made this stunning tie dye stretch velvet duster length Boyfriend Cardigan for the pattern’s update and release. Phew that was a mouthful! I wear this thing so much, even in the hot weather! My go to outfit with this one is jean shorts and a cami but I also made matching shorts using the Love Notions Resolution Bottoms pattern. The side vents are amazing! They allow me to walk freely plus let in some needed breeze. The collar style I chose is the straight band and I think this doubles as a beach cover up nicely. I have an entire post on this version so I won’t bombard you again. Here’s the link!

There you have it! Two Canyon Cardigans and two Boyfriend Cardigans! Let me know in the comment section which of the four is your favourite! You can still grab the Canyon Cardigan, Boyfriend Cardigan and lots of other beautiful patterns for 40% off over on the Love Notions website through Friday October 7th 2022. Make sure to use my code ISLAND10 for an extra 10% off! And remember.. any order this week gets a chance to win a Babylock victory Serger! Happy Shopping!

Toodle-loo

Keira