I bought a hot pink cardigan for my baby girl few months back and I really love the simple classic design, however there was only 1 color available then and I was not able to find another cardigan of similar design thus far. So, when I found an old cardigan of mine that I had not worn for years, I thought perhaps I can upcycle it. And I did. :)
This is the new cardigan I made for my baby, black base with sweet pink lining and a ribbon knot. Looking sweet isn't it? :)
This was what it once was. A boring looking black cardigan (I cant even recalled what made me bought it in the first place :P)
I made this cardigan without any pattern, nor tutorial reference. It is easier than I thought and so I would like to share the steps with you. It only took me about 3 hours and so perhaps you can give it a try too. :)
Tools Needed:
- An old cardigan of yours
- Sewing Machine
- Fabric Chalk
- Fabric Pins & Scissors
- Bias tape, about 90cm
- 2 Ribbons, about 25cm each
- Thread in matching colors
Tutorial for Little Girl Cardigan:
A) Cutting the pattern
1. First, lay the old cardigan on a flat surface, overlap with your little one's existing cardigan. Trace the lining using a fabric chalk. (I added extra 2cm length to the cut in anticipation of how fast she grows)
2. Cut out the sleeves, front and back pieces, leaving about 2cm allowance for seams. Use pins to hold the fabric in place so you will not wrongly cut. This is what you should get.
B) Prepare the body pieces
3. Pin the bias tapes along the edge of the body piece, sew them neatly using matching color thread. (NOTE: after wearing it onto my baby girl, I realized this step was redundant. Just sew on the bias tape around the edges of the cardigan once all pieces are joint together in step #8)
This is how the pieces should looks like.
4. Next, align the body front and back pieces together (wrong side facing each other inwards), pin the shoulders section and waist section accordingly. Sew the shoulders together with about 2cm seam.
**Do not sew the waist just yet at this stage.
This is how the body should looks like.
C) Join them up
5. For the sleeves, pin each sleeve to the body piece in a circular motion. Ensure the edges are properly aligned.
6. Sew the sleeve with the pin in place.
You may refer to this video on how to sew a sleeve.
7. Then continue to seal the waist section.
8. Work on another sleeve, then sew bias tape around the edges. It forms a frame around the cardigan and also avoid the fabric from fray. Your cardigan is almost done now.
D) Seaming
9. To give it a neat finishing, ensure you hem the edges so the fabric does not fray. If your machine does not support seaming, just choose a zigzag pattern.
10. Finally, sew on a matching color ribbons on the left and right side of the cardigan. Remember to change to a matching color thread here.
Final touch...
I added a custom made label with my initial, I sew it at the bottom of the bodice instead of the top so it will not cause to any discomfort to my baby's skin when wearing. My first "Made by PH" range. :)
This cute little cardigan is done in 10 simple steps. Mission completion, yay!
Hope you find this tutorial useful and feel free to probe if you have any queries, I'll attempt my best to answer.
Happy sewing!
Useful Tip..
These pictures were taken before I touched up the ribbon edges. Instead of buying a ribbon cutter I just ran the edges quickly over a cigarette lighter (the blue zone which is center of the fire). No more fray and it now has a beautiful finishing. :)
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