Creative articles about sewing

Turn a sweater into a cardigan in 5 minutes

I want to share with you how you can turn a sweater into a cardigan in 4 simple steps.This is a great idea for when you get tired of an old jersey and you can transform it into a whole new item.

Materials and equipment

  • old sweater
  • serger/overlock
  • fabric scissors

I bought a Bernette overlock/serger for a community program that I run here in New Zealand. I loved it so much that I brought it home to try it out on some stretchy fabric. I used it to transform this sweater into a cardigan and I loved the look that I created.

bernette overlocker

These are the 4 steps to transform an old sweater.

Step 1:

Choose an old sweater that you are either tired of, or it’s not fitting right.

For this tutorial I have chosen an old white woolen sweater that just didn’t fit right.

sweater diy

Step 2:

Grab your fabric scissors and get ready for some serious cutting 🙂

Fold the sweater in half.

Pin the side seams to ensure that the sweater won’t move and that the center front line stays in place while you cut.

Step 3:

Cut through the center front line.

Step 4:

Thread your overlock with a similar color to the sweater.

Overlock the 2 center front edges.

Voila! This is your new cardigan. I love the little waves that the overlock created!

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial as much as I am enjoying creating it!

 

Free sewing instructions: Turn a sweater into a cardigan in 5 minutes

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  • Lynette Collis EditEditing comments on the BERNINA blog is only possible after logging in with a blog user account. Sign up now or create a user account if you do not have one yet.

    Great Idea …. suggest using the differential to avoid the garment edges from waving….move it up to about 1.5. You could pull the threads out and redo this….if works. ?  

    • Victoria Martinez azaro EditEditing comments on the BERNINA blog is only possible after logging in with a blog user account. Sign up now or create a user account if you do not have one yet.

      Thanks Lynette,

      Cheers for your comment! I know what you mean but my daughter who was the one that wanted the cardigan insisted in leaving it like this 🙂 She likes the wave!!! And I liked the fact that a simple stitch in a particular material created the wavy detail. I know it’s a bit unconventional but we like it 🙂

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