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 9 - Upstyle, Sew Puffed Frill onto Back of Cardigan

Tutorial 9

Sew Puffed Frill onto Back of Cardigan

 I'll show you how to create this amazing puffed frill onto the back of a cardigan.
Click on images to make bigger.

 I used a regular cardigan from UNI QLO that I bought in the sale for just £9.00

But you can 'Upstyle' any old cardigan that you no longer wear.

 1.    Cut 8ins up the side seams or to where you want the Puffed Frill to stop.

 Allowing half an inch for the seam allowance, cut straight across back.

 2.  Do notches for the darts. I did mine 3inches from side seam, 1inch apart.

 Fold fabric so notches line up and keeping it straight stitch a line from the edge at an angle to the fold, about 4inches as seen in photo.

 Should look like this. Press darts towards side seams.

3.   Get the piece you cut out the back, and cut off the ribbing allowing 1/2 inch seam allowance.

 Put right sides together onto cardigan and sew along edge of ribbing.

 Then once you have pressed it it should look like this.

In another tutorial I will show how you can get this effect with a cardigan, long at front and short at back. You can't do it with this one, as you need to start it differently.

 4.  Fold over some silk, 2 - 3 times the width of the back of the cardigan. (ie. going across back of the waist of cardigan in Fig 1)  Mine was 12inches wide, so I cut my strip of fabric 36inches long.

Then whatever the length was in Fig 1 (mine was 8inches) add 1inch for seam allowance, so I cut it 9inches from the fold.

 So as to keep the ends tidy, put right sides together and stitch ends.

Then turn right way round and press flat.

 5. Then you need to gather this.

Using the biggest stitch on your sewing machine, stitch a straight line along the edge, not the fold.

Don't begin and end with going back and forwards as you need to pull the threads to gather.

Just pull bottom thread to gather fabric and gently ease along till it roughly fits the back of the waist.

Once you are happy with the size, put right sides together and stitch along the same line as when you attached ribbing.

 It should look like this.

6.   Now you need to stitch up side seams, make sure you catch the ribbing in as you sew and check as you sew that the cardigan and the silk finish the same length.

I often hold things together with 'Bond- a -Web' 1st, but you must cut it to only 1mm so it's not too thick and press into place. 

 Never underestimate pressing.

You need to stretch the ribbing as you press the back waist.

Also you must stretch out the ribbing along the hem at the front, gradually stretching up to waist. This is so the cardigan does not pull.

This really does create a glamorous look to a plain cardigan.