Tutorial 13 - Upstyle Cardigan with Silk Frill Peplum

Tutorial 13

Upstyle Cardigan with Silk Frill Peplum

This Upstyle project is really versatile.

Here I used a scarf for the frill peplum but it can be any fabric.

Using a plain silk the same colour as the cardigan can give a more subtle look. 

You will need a classic cardigan this one is from UNI QLO was £15 and I used a scarf (34ins square) which was £5 from Portobello Market.

1.  Keeping the buttons and button holes, cut 6ins up along centre front leaving 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Then cut along until you have cut a section out that is 6ins wide. Keep this as ribbing is very useful for loads of other tutorials.

Find the centre front by folding the cardigan in half and making a little nip in the fold. When you open it out it should look like this.

2.   Get the scarf and cut 2 strips 7ins each (this allows for extra seam allowance)

Put them right sides together and seam one seam

Then press open

 Gather using largest straight stitch on your sewing machine and pulling a bottom thread till it roughly looks like it will fit the space in the cardigan

3.   Make 2 more notches equidistant apart from centre back notch.

Fold where the 1st notch is and make a dart by sewing at an angle from the edge coming in about 4ins long. Click on above picture to make larger.

Then do the same on the other side, press with a steam iron and it should look like this.

4.  Now, put the cardigan on the ironing board and get a long piece of Bond a Web cut to 1-2mm wide, position it just on the edge of where you're going to add the gathered frill.

Place the frill, right sides together, onto the Bond a Web, (as seen in picture) starting 1 inch in, for seam allowance. And begin working your way along pressing into place as you go and adjusting the gathering to fit as you go.

Remember to leave the same seam allowance 1inch at the end.

When you are happy that it is glued in the right place, you can begin sewing.

Start 1/2 inch before, where my finger is in the picture.

Then do a little diagonal snip from the edge to the beginning of the stitch line.

Do the same on the other side. This is done to allow movement in the fabric so that you can turn the frill fabric and stitch down the centre front.

Just like this.

You may need to ease the knitted cardigan fabric to fit as you go, this can then be pressed out.

Press back and zig zag all the edges.

I usually give a little snip to mitre the seams where they meet the hem before I zig zag.

Close up of pressed front

Should look something like this when laid out.

Once you have mastered this this possibilities are endless, that space that you cut out of the cardigan can be filled with anything.

Chiffon, lace, silk, rough linen it's up to you, make your own unique version

I even had a little bit left to make a neck scarf.

Tutorial 12 - Part 2 Sleeveless Cardigan with Draped Sides

Tutorial 12

Sleeveless Cardigan

With Draped Sides

Part 2

This is where we got to in Part 1

 1.  Using both cuffs from the cardigan you are working on and the other cardigan that you chopped up, cut off leaving a 1cm seam allowance.

 Take one of the cuffs and lay over the shoulder of the cardigan to decide where you will want to cut the  armhole (allowing for the width of the ribbing that you will add later)

 Then using chalk draw all the way round where you want to cut the armhole. Then whilst allowing 1cm for a seam allowance start cutting.

 It should look something like this. It will seam a bit large at first but by the time you allow for the ribbing it's not so big.

 Take  2 of your pieces of ribbing, put right sides together and stitch sides and zig zag raw edges.

Then using alot of steam, really stretch over an iron board as much as possible and keep pressing and steaming to make as big as possible. Leave to one side for a bit.

 2.  To make the belt at the back, get a bit of left over sleeve and cut section that when doubled is the width you want. For me it was a total width of 10cms including seam allowance.

 Take you belt and fold over and press again stetching as you go.

 Stitch using straight stitch, right sides together all the way along. then turn the right way round and stretch and press.

 Then decide how high or low you want this belt to be positioned.

 This is one of the very rare occations when I do use pins, when I need to position something and stand back to look and the reposition untill I am happy

 Once happy with position, stitch into place and cut off excess fabric.

 3.  Going back to the stretched cuffs stitched together, place them right sides together in the armhole of the cardigan.

 Using an iron and thinly cut strip of 'Bond a Web' start glueing the ribbing into the armhole to hold in place ready for sewing.

 When you sew make sure you sew along the line of where the ribbing meets the plain knit.

 Trim off the excess fabric and zig zag the edges.

 Should then look something like this. Repeat on the other side.

 Now more of the all important stretching and pressing. Look at the difference in the 2 above pictures.

When finished should look something like this.

Once again this method could be applied to other projects like a big jumper into a giant Tank top with really deep armholes.

I've shown you how to do it now you be creative!

Tutorial 12a - Part 1 Sleeveless Cardigan with Draped Sides

Tutorial 12a

Sleeveless Cardigan

with Draped sides

Part 1



AFTER



BEFORE

You'll need 2 large mens cardigans.

I bought mine from UNI QLO and they were reduced to £9.00 each.

1.  Take one of the cardigans and carefully cut along the line of the side seam, stopping half an inch before the end.

Measure the length of that (mine is 17inches)

2.  Then using that measurement, cut across under the arms as in picture above.

Undo the buttons and lay out flat. Cut along the side seams. 

And cut up the centre back so you end up with 2 pieces.

3.  Then, taking one of the centre back pieces, lay on an ironing board and with it right sides up, lay a thin 1mm strip of Bond a Web.

Get a strip of satin or velvet ribbon and lay on top just covering Bond a Web, don't start with the end of ribbon in line with the hem of the cardigan, allow about half an inch in. Then press with a steam iron. 

Stitch along the edge with a straight stitch.

Fold back the ribbon against the wrong side and put a thin strip of Bond a Web along edge.

Fold back the extra half inch of ribbon and remember to put a bit of Bond a Web in here. (See Picture above) and press with an iron.

Stitch along the edge with a straight stitch.

With right sides together and ribbed hems in line stitch along seam opposite the ribbed hem.

Starting from the edge where the ribbon or buttons are. Zig Zag raw edges. 

So when you press the seam it should look like above picture when opened out.

4.  Now, you have to fit that rectangle into this section.

With right sides together, line up the centre seam of the rectangle with the under arm seam on the cardigan and start sewing from here down to the ribbed hem, keeping an eye on whether the hems line up. If not you can always stretch a little as you go.

When you've finished one side starting again from under the arm, sew down to the hem. Zig Zag raw edges.

Once pressed should look like above picture.

Then repeat onto the other side.

Now you have finished stage one of this Tutorial.

This method of applying a section into the side seam to create draped sides can be used on T-shirts, Vest Tops, Jumpers..... just use your imagination.

I'll be showing you Part 2  in Tutorial 13 where we learn how to create deep sleeveless armholes with wide ribbing around the edge.