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.