https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/mens-sweater-to-chic-sweater-dress • Posted by J. Pario
I turned a pile of discarded sweaters into a cute sweater dress in a weekend. (It was supposed to be longer. But I really liked it the way it was, so I just won't wear it to work after all.) NOTE: A serger is a must. A sewing machine just isn't going to cut it. This project originally appeared on my blog "Painting on the Ceiling" and I wanted to shared it with my CO+K community. Enjoy! And thanks to everyone who posts projects here--you brighten my world with your creativity!
I turned a pile of discarded sweaters into a cute sweater dress in a weekend. (It was supposed to be longer. But I really liked it the way it was, so I just won't wear it to work after all.) NOTE: A serger is a must. A sewing machine just isn't going to cut it. This project originally appeared on my blog "Painting on the Ceiling" and I wanted to shared it with my CO+K community. Enjoy! And thanks to everyone who posts projects here--you brighten my world with your creativity!
Here's what I started with. My husband had "done a purge" and dramatically reduced his wardrobe.
I loved the color of this one, but it was much too big. (You can just barely see the tips of my fingers.)
I found a sweater of a complimentary color and cut off the sleeves.
I added the sleeves from the orange sweater to the mix.
I cut pieces for the waistband, deliberately making them of varying sizes. Serged seams add bulk. Therefore, I didn't use many pieces for the waistband.
I serged them together.
Putting right sides together, I made the waistband loop.
I cut the top to fit the waistband. I remembered that when I serge the sides of the top back together I would lose about half an inch at least. Therefore I accounted for that when I cut the sides.
I serged the edges of the top to finish them. You can't sew darts in bulky sweater material. Don't even try. Just go for a snug fit and trust in the stretch of the fabric. (But not so snug that you can't get it on!)
I cut the bottom half to match, again remembering that I would lose some material in the seam. The safety pins are there to keep everything lined up and straight. Then I sewed the bottom half on. Why the wavy seam? My friend Carla explained that a more gathered stitch will help. If you have a Baby Lock brand serger, this means "push the level all the way to the 2 at the top." I'll remember that for next time.
Finished! Note that you can see what I mean about no darts when you look at this photo. If you started with a sweater of your own that fit you could obviously avoid that problem. Happy creating!