I enjoyed testing the Lulu Cardigan by Pattern Scout , and while I made my wearable muslin I was already plotting to use a sweater knit for my next version.
I think the Lulu works really well for refashioning as it does not require a lot of fabric and the pieces are smaller as they are fitted. Also the lines are so fun, color blocking would be so fun! This time I found a men’s cotton sweater with some fun texture. Men’s sweaters are often longer and are nice if you need extra length for your pattern pieces.
When I was trying on my tester cardigan I thought, this would be so fun as a sweater/pullover. This is such an easy hack! Just cut one bodice piece on the fold instead of two separate pieces. For my refashion, I cut an extra piece for the front and back so I could more easily lay out the pattern pieces to optimize available fabric. I lined up the front pattern pieces on the view A line, and then lined up the back pieces on the fold line. I wanted to preserve the cuffs and hem band, so I arranged my pattern pieces accordingly (remember, original View A has cuffs and a hem band). I also added a little extra length, but probably didn’t need to in hindsight! I was using a bulkier knit so I left more seam allowance than called for in the pattern.
After pinning in place I cut out the fabric and followed the directions for the Lulu cardigan, minus areas focused on the zipper. It came together so fast. As it was a thicker knit, I increased my stitch length (between a basting stitch and regular stitch), sewed with a 1/2″ seam allowance and for the bodice/shoulder pieces I used a straight stitch and then did a 1/4″ top stitch to secure the seam allowance and hopefully reduce the risk of unraveling. I used a longer and wider than normal zig zag for the collar and where the sleeves attach to the bodice as those will need to stretch. For the particular sweater I used to refashion I had some extra collar ribbing to work with so I tried to work in a collar that mimicked the bomber jacket look of the original Lulu cardigan.
I loved playing with texture on this version! If I squeeze in another soon I hope to do some fun color blocking.
This is so cute! Great way to jazz up our sweaters, Please share more interesting blog like this