How to Make a Sweatshirt Into a Cardigan

Sweatshirts are fashionable as they are, but sometimes a sweatshirt may not be dressy enough to wear to the office. They're comfortable and easy to care for, but a sweatshirt as is may be way too casual for some places of business. How nice would it be if you could turn your sweatshirt into a stylish cardigan that you'd be proud to where anywhere? With a few snips of your scissors and some stitches, you can do it.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A table
• A sewing machine
• ½ yard of synthetic suede
• A white pencil (if you're synthetic suede is a dark color)
• A blue pen (if you're synthetic suede is a light color)
• A pair of scissors
• A spool of thread to match the synthetic suede
• A sewing needle
• A ruler
• A box of straight Pins
• An oversized sweatshirt
• Five buttons (color to match the sweatshirt)

1. Wash and dry your over-sized sweatshirt to allow for any shrinkage.

2. Measure the length of your sweatshirt from the center of the top of the neckline to the bottom of the sweatshirt, and add 2 centimeters to your measurement.

3. Cut a piece of synthetic suede according to the measurement you took and 2 ½ inches wide.

4. Cut another piece of synthetic suede the same size as that in step 3.

5. Cut the sweatshirt straight up the front center.

6. Take one of the synthetic suede strips and draw a straight line down the center of it, on the wrong side, using your pen or white pencil.

7. Draw a straight line down the center of the second piece of synthetic suede in the same manner as in step 6.

8. Lay one strip of synthetic suede down on the table (wrong side facing up) and position one open edge of your sweatshirt on it (wrong side facing down) so that 1 centimeter of synthetic suede extends from the top of the sweatshirt, 1 centimeter of synthetic suede extends from the bottom of the sweatshirt and the edge of the sweatshirt meets the drawn line.

9. Fold 1 centimeter of synthetic suede down over the sweatshirt's neckline and 1 centimeter of synthetic suede up over the bottom edge of the sweatshirt and pin in place.

10. Turn your sweatshirt over to the wrong side and sew along the edge of the synthetic suede, removing the pins as you sew.

11. Turn your sweatshirt over so that the right side of the sweatshirt is facing up and fold the strip of synthetic suede over to the right side of the sweatshirt, making sure the synthetic suede covers the stitches just sewn. Pin synthetic suede in place.

12. Sew the synthetic suede to the right side of the sweatshirt, removing the pins as you sew.

13. Follow steps 8 through 12 to sew the other piece of synthetic suede to the other side of the sweatshirt.

14. Use very small hand-stitching to close the open ends of the synthetic suede strips.

15. With the front of the sweatshirt facing you, place straight pins horizontally through the synthetic suede to designate where you would like to sew the buttonholes. (The buttonholes should be on the right side of the sweatshirt.)

16. Set your sewing machine for a buttonhole stitch and sew each buttonhole, removing each pin before sewing each buttonhole.

17. Sew buttons onto the left side of the sweatshirt, on the synthetic suede and opposite each buttonhole.

Tips & Warnings

• Use rhinestone buttons to make a dressy cardigan out of your sweatshirt.
• Wear protective eyewear when sewing on a sewing machine. Be extremely careful not to strike any straight pins with your sewing machine needle as the sewing machine needle could break off and cause an injury.

Resources

• Toray Ultrasuede, Inc.

[TeacherKelly]

on 4/22/2009 Pictures please!