A Little Something to Keep Me Warm

April 11, 2012 at 6:13 pm (tutorial)
Tags: blanket, Clothing, sewing, Shirt, Sweater, tutorial, upcycle

Lately it seems I am always cold. I have a throw blanket that I really like. I love the colors and the design. It is also very soft on the darker side.

Unfortunately it is just a little too small. You know the type, can’t quite cover both the feet and the shoulders at once. Not even when the person seeking maximum coverage is only 5’2″. Sigh…

So it was time for a change. The blanket would have to be sacrificed. I got out my trusty freezer paper and taped together two pieces. I used an oversized shirt I really like as a guide to make a pattern for my new sweater. For the front and back pieces I pushed the sleeves back inside-out to get the curve of the arm hole.

Then I added 1/2″ seam allowance.

I cut out the pattern pieces and ironed them onto the blanket. Then I cut them out using pinking shears to minimize the unraveling of the woven fabric.

The front piece was just like the back piece except that the neckline dipped down.

The two pieces were pinned right sides together then sewn and the seam edges zigzagged. I like the bolder color of the red, but that was also the softer side of the blanket. Since my main motivation for making this is that I’m feeling so chilled as of late, having the sweater fuzzy and soft on the inside won out. This is my hug-in-a-garment sweater.

To make the sleeves, I traced the sleeve onto the freezer paper.

Added the seam allowance.

Cut it out and ironed it onto a folded piece of the blanket fabric. The fold is along the upper edge of the sleeve. When I made the pattern piece I added extra length to fold up and hem at the cuff. I then decided to use the already finished edge of the blanket so the excess length of the pattern piece is hanging over the edge in the photo. Because the piece is on a double thickness of the blanket, I also pinned it in place after ironing the freezer paper on to prevent any shifting about as I cut it out.

Then it was time to sew down the seam at the underside of each sleeve.

Adding the sleeves to the sweater made me very nervous. I had never done this before and I had read that it was a difficult thing to do. Fear of attaching sleeves is the main reason I haven’t sewn sleeved shirts before (other than a raglan PJ top for Eli). It went so smoothly! I’ll be sewing many more shirts in the future.

At this point all that was left was to attach bias tape around the neck and the bottom of the sweater. I was happy to find I had this wide double fold brown bias tape in my stash bought back when Joanne’s was having a big sale. I was happy I didn’t have to run out an buy anything for this project. I have enough left that if I decide I want to also change the way the ends of the sleeves are finished I can.

Behold my new ultra-cuddly, wear a blanket in public, sweater. This is what stands between me and the ultimate humiliation of wearing a Forever Lazy. I know everyone around me is thankful.

This was all that was left of the blanket that gave her all for my obsession with getting warm.

Thanks for reading!

Karen

Here’s where I’m linking up.

Sunday:

Homemaker on a Dime,  I {heart} Naptime,  Flamingo Toes, My 1929 Charmer Blog,

Monday:

Get Outta My Head Please, Skip to My Lou, The Gunny Sack, Sew Can Do,

Singing Three Little Birds, Etcetorize, C.R.A.F.T.,  diy home sweet home,

Craft-O Maniac, Sew Chatty, Artful Rising,

Sarahndipities , Just Winging It, Everything Under the Moon,

The Cure for the Common Monday

Tuesday:

At Home With K, Not Just a Housewife, Hope Studios, Funky Polkadot Giraffe,

Kammy’s Korner, The Kurtz Corner, I’m Topsy Turvy, Tip Junkie, the space between,

Raising 4 Princesses, The Creative Itch Boutique, Schwin and Schwin

Wednesday:

Sew Much Ado, Frugally Sustainable, The Shady Porch, Tea Rose Home, Lil’ Luna,

Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Whatever Wednesday, Trendy Tots

Thursday:

Mom On Timeout, Thrifty Decorating, Bear Rabbit Bear,

The Crafty Blogstalker, The Shabby Creek Cottage, House of Hepworths,

Sorta Crunchy, Delightful Order, Saved by Love Creations,

Between U & Me,  Anything Goes Linky Party,

Friday:

Simply Designing, Whipperberry,  Happy Hour Projects, kojodesigns,

Joyful Stamper, Making Lemonade Blog, Thirty Handmade Days,

Release Me Creations, Naptime Crafters, Romantic Home, Finding Fabulous,

Shabby Nest, French Country Cottage, The Charm of Home, The Grant Life,

At the Picket Fence, Fingerprints on the Fridge, One Art Mama, 2805

Saturday:

The Gingerbread Blog, Too Much Time On My Hands,

Six Sisters Stuff, Serenity You, Be Different Act Normal