Feb 3, 2012

Child's Cardigan Tutorial {Upcycled Sweater}

I picked up this eyelet cardigan at a garage sale last summer for a buck.  It had a small rust stain on the shoulder, but I thought maybe I could dye it or just bum around the house in it.  But I just never really liked the way it lay--too boxy.  I've been purging the house lately, so I decided to get rid of it.  Then I thought that Grace sure could use a white cardigan, and this upcycled cardigan was born.

The original jersey knit sweater.

First, I cut off the sleeves.

Next, I used a shirt that fit Grace nicely to trace the bodice for the cardigan.  I added an extra 5/8" or so for seam allowances.

I then cut along the red pen lines.

My draftsmen.

First, I sewed the shoulders together.

*I failed to take a picture of cutting down the sleeves, but I cut the sleeves apart, laid them flat on top of on another.  I then cut them about 12 inches long with a gentle slope at the top, about two inches longer than the sides.  I determined the width of the sleeves by measuring the width of the arm openings in the bodice.  I determined the wrist size of the sleeve by measuring a long-sleeved shirt that fits well, and adding an 1-1/2" for ease and seam allowance.  I drew a line from the edge of the shoulder to the wrist to achieve a slightly tapered sleeve.

I pinned the re-cut sleeves at the shoulder.

I sewed the shoulders to the bodice.

I hemmed the sleeve at the wrist by folding it under and sewing.  The beauty of knit is that it doesn't ravel.

I pinned the sleeve seams and the side seams, and sewed them in one continuous seam.




 All done!  Grace wanted it long, or I would have hemmed the bottom of the cardigan too.  This was a pretty quick project.  I'd say about 2 hours maximum time, and the cost -- FREE!

4 lovely comments:

Penny said... Best Blogger Tips

Wow. Looks lovely. Well done. Great post x

Kari said... Best Blogger Tips

That is so awesome! I'm going to have to keep this in mind.

Jennifer said... Best Blogger Tips

That looks awesome, and seems so simple too! I'm definitely doing this if I ever have a girl : )

Phyllis Blickensderfer said... Best Blogger Tips

Excellent tutorial -- what a winning way to recycle! I'll have to remember that for a couple of great-granddaughters.