DIY Shawl Collar Cardigan Tutorial

 

Hello readers! In my effort to stay on my ready to wear clothing fast, I ‘ve been making more everyday clothes. Last week I made my own workout outfit, and this week we have a comfy oversized sweater a style you have probably seen when out shopping. I show the examples below from Anthropologie. I love the look of high heeled boots and jeans with this sweater for our mild winter days here. Casual but still stylish.

I’m going to show you how to draft your own pattern for it.

It’s a shawl collar cardigan with a front hem which sweeps up from the center. This pattern is really quite simple to draft. It’s just triangles! If the bottom hem didn’t sweep up, it would be even simpler. If you would like to keep things REALLY easy and are new to making your own patterns, you can always omit the curved hem and just make it square. But of couse, it’s the little details that take a pattern from boring to fashionable.

From my Spring 2014 fashion trends board on Pinterest. Sweaters by Anthroplogie.

 My goal this year is to post at least one fashion oriented sewing tutorial every month. I make my own patterns, and since I have just started learning how to use Illustrator,but have miles to learn,I’m enjoying creating my tutorials even more. I’ve been writing for the Sewing Rabbitt Team on the Me Sew Crazy blog and it’s just the motivation I need to make more fashion tutorial projects. This post was shared there last month.

I love this Aztec or Navajo print fabric. I buy most of my fabric in the Los Angeles fabric district, about an hour and fifteen minutes away from our little farm. I always find something very unique and get great deals. Often, I don’t buy enough. But this time I bought two and a half yards, the exact amount I needed to make this design. This sweater would also be nice in a solid knit or even in sweatshirt fabric.

The sleeves and neck band are rectangles that have been folded and ironed. The raw edges are then sewn to the raw edges of the neck and the sleeves. It’s a very simple way ot finish a knit garment. This style short sleeved sweater has been very popular this season. I have been wanting one, so figured I would just make my own! Often, I never can find a pattern for current styles I want to make so I’ve decided to just start making my own and sharing the tutorials.

I love my cactus plants. They were itty bitty babies a few years ago, believe it or not! Below I will explain how to make the pattern first, then I will show you how to put it together.Both the front and back pieces should be 12 inches wide and 32 inches long.

On the front piece  you will draw a mark 4 inches from the top neck edge and then make another notch 11 inches down from that edge on the right hand line , the center line of the sweater. You will then draw a nice neckline curve.

On the center from below the neckline curve, measure up 6 inches from the bottom.Draw a hemline curve , connecting to the bottom hem opposite edge, straightening out until the side seam.

On what will be the side seam, the left line on the diagram above, mark down 11 inches from the top edge to create the armhole notch.

For the back piece, which will have a center fold, measure down from the center fold 1 inch and mark the neckline corner. On the upper edge of the center, measure over 4 inches to mark the neck, shoulder intersection. Now draw in your neckline.

On the side seam edge,  measure down 11 inches from the top and mark a notch for the bottom of the armhole.

That’s it for the back! I told you this was an easy pattern. On to the neckband and sleeves….

 

The neckband pieces will be 36 inches long and 11 inches wide. Fold the piece in half lengthwise and mark 2.5 inches up on the edges. Draw the curve like above. This piece gets sewn to the center front of the sweater so the curves have to go together. Here is an example: The neckband will be folded in half and the raw edges will be sewn to the center front.

The sleeve pattern is a rectangle 8 inches wide by 23 inches long. It will be sewn together at the edges, then folded and ironed. Then sewn into  he armhole after the side seams are sewn.

Cutting the fabric:

Cut two front pieces

one back piece on fold

two seleeves

2 neckbands

Sewing sweater:

See below