I’ve been using the Seamwork Astoria sweater pattern (with a slightly lengthened bodice) as my knit sloper for a while now. It fits well in the shoulders and bust, and is easy to manipulate. I’ve used it to make a few sweaters and a tee.

I’ve been dreaming of using some leftover French Terry scraps in a color-blocked sweater. Originally, I planned a simple diagonal seam from shoulder to waist (across the front) but the sketch of it was a snoozefest!

After a few more sketches, I landed on this idea. A lightning bolt. Lightning bolts are awesome  (i.e. Bowie’s iconic Aladdin Sane cover…’arry Potter’s scar…FF13’s Lightning… Real Actual Lightning).

The key to making this sweater work without wanting to throw my machine out the window is a center front seam. Usually, I’m not a fan of CF seams; I don’t like the look of them. I feel like they are a shortcut/cop-out (particularly in regards to necklines) but they do result in crisp seam lines…

I made a copy of the pattern front and traced out my cutting lines. Then I cut the new pieces out and added seam allowance where necessary, using a standard 5/8″ allowance.

After I planned out the color blocking, I sewed each side of the front bodice together first, then joined them at the CF seam, and pressed. After that, the construction process was like any other sweater.

I really love how it turned out. I have some more scraps in blue and green that will be the next sweater. My thoughts are now on adapting this concept to make an Aladdin Sane Dress with a big Bowie lightning bolt cutting through it.