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 10 - Upstyle, Flower Applique onto Cardigan

Tutorial 10
Upstyle, Flower Applique onto Cardigan

For this 'Upstyle' tutorial I've used 'Digital Fabric Paper' and printed using my home printer.

It comes in cotton and silk and dries in minutes.

1.  To make a garland of flowers I had to print 2 halves as I only have an A4 printer. Once fabric is dry, peel away from paper backing.

2.  Then lay onto some 'Bond a Web' and cut out.



3.  Press with iron.
You can peel off paper backing but I prefer to wait till I've cut out the image.



4.  Cut around each garland and laying them on top of each other work out where you'll need to cut them to make them fit.

                                            Now is a good time to peel of paper backing

Stretch cardigan onto ironing board and layout your printed fabric.

Once you're happy press into place.

5.  When everything is pressed now you can sew using a straight or zig zag stitch, all around your design.

This method can be used for any piece of clothing.

Looks really great to build up a collage of prints onto the back of a coat or jacket great upstyle project.

My Digital Printing Fabric paper was bought from 'Crafty Computer Paper'. online.

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.

Tutorial 8 - Upstyled White top shortened with new Frill and elastic on back

Tutorial 8
Upcycled White Top with New Frill
and Elastic on Back

(After) Putting this frill onto this long white top makes it really 'cute.'

(Before) As the original top, it looked a bit frumpy.
Now see how we can 'Upstyle' it.

1. Work out how long you want the top to be, then make it 3inches shorter (allowing for the frill.)

Cut two strips. One along the hem 3 inches wide.

Then another 3 and a half inches wide (you'll need the extra half an inch to make a hem on this one.)

You should end up with 2 strips.

1 with the original hem and 1 a bit bigger with no hem.

Find a sewing foot that looks something like this in your machine box it's great!

If you don't have one it's a'bummer' but you can do a pressed hem using your iron and then stitch in place.

2. Using the 'Hem Foot' start sewing along the strip with no hem and let the fabric roll into the foot.

It makes doing a thin stitched hem so.................. easy.

Sew side seams together and zig zag raw edges.

3. Using the largest stitch on your machine stitch from one side seam to the other leaving a long loose thread.

Then do the same with the other side.

Then lay on a flat surface and gently pull the under thread, easing the gathering to roughly the size of the hem of the top.

Fold top in halt and notch to show centre front and back.

4. Roughly match up notches with side seams, centre fronts and backs making gathers more or less to fit size.

Then beginning at a side seam with right sides together start to sew.

When you have finished don't forget to zig zag raw edges and the press frill.

5. Before putting the elastic in the back, press a line to use as a guide for where you want the elastic to go. Remember to do a little vertical line to show where it should stop.

Turn the top inside out, working on the wrong side.

Lay the elastic along the pressed line and using a 'zig zag' stitch, begin by going backwards and forwards in one place.(Always leave a good inch to grab hold of at he beginning.)

Then as you really stretch the elastic start to sew along until you get to the end of the pressed line and zig zag backwards and forwards to finish.

This is a technique I use alot on tops and coats.

It gives shape to an otherwise shapeless top and adds detail to the back.

By adding the frill it transforms this top from a frumpy top to something more 'cute' and much more flattering.