A Basic Sweater Pattern

Do you recognize it? You've seen it here before. It was the last completed sweater that I posted. It's Burda Pullover 11/2012 #128 again! Described here previously as a casual pullover, with a rounded v-neck, slightly dropped shoulders, and a side split hem band. This time I used Natural White Cotton Jersey sweater knit for the main fabric and New Hudson sweater knit for the rib bands.

I've been playing with variations since it's the pattern we'll be using in "How to Sew Sweater Knits", the workshop I'm teaching at Workroom Social on March 12th. Registration is now closed.

With this version of the sweater, I've included the split rib band as in the original pattern, though I altered the size of the bands. I've also replaced the hemmed neckline with a narrow neck band.

The cuffs remain the same as in the original pattern, though I've turned them up in the pic below. In the last version I cut the cuffs with the ribs going horizontally. (Since the cuffs were cut from the same fabric as the bodice and sleeves last time, I had wanted to add a little variety.)

What I enjoy most about this sweater is that it's a good basic pattern. A variety of knits can be used, edge finishes can readily be substituted, and the pullover can be easily shortened or lengthened. I suppose that last statement can be said about most basic patterns. We use our imaginations and creativity to make the garment we want. That's why we sew.

O!

Danielle's Hudson Sweater

Danielle's got style and drafts a Hudson sweater with a few surprises. She shares the ideas behind her creation and gives a few tips too.  - O!

Inspired by O! Jolly! New Hudson sweater knit fabric (no longer available), I got the idea to make a sweater with a shirttail hem. The first thing I needed to do was to decide which design to actually use! I'm definitely a fan of hooded sweaters but I decided to forgo a hood for this project. Instead I went with a simple tunic length sweater with a v-neck.

The stand out feature would be the shirttail hem. For this version, I decided to make it slightly longer in the back. Shirttail hems on pullover shirts can be really chic. The key is getting the right curve on the bottom. In some online tutorials for a shirttail hem on a knit shirt, the results look more like a perfect, round scallop rather than a bell-shaped curve. A bell shape more closely resembles the hem of a men's dress shirt, which was my original inspiration for this sweater.

My next challenge was deciding which side of the fabric to treat as the "outside". The pattern is more pronounced on one side, so that should be considered the "right" side, but it also kind of looked like the back side of a cable knit. I went out on a limb and sewed on the other, smooth side.

Smooth side (on the left) was used as the "right" side for this project.

Technically speaking I did not use a traditional commercial pattern for this sweater. I tend to fall in between sizes so instead I used a t-shirt that I already had as a template. My worn-in t-shirt had been stretched over time to fit my shape perfectly.

Front and Back

After folding and laying out my t-shirt template on the sweater fabric, I marked out a rough hemline. Because I was using a standard length t-shirt, I had to add a few inches in order to make it hip length/tunic length. I added an extra 2 inches on the side and a total of 5 inches to the center front. From there I made a curved line from my 2-inch mark on the side seam to my 5-inch mark on the center front.

After cutting out the front piece in the sweater knit fabric I used it as a template for the back. However, because I wanted a longer length in the back, I marked the longer length with pins before cutting it.

Sleeves and Armscye

For the sleeve I used a pattern that I have previously made. If you are tracing a t-shirt as a template, but using a commercial pattern for a sleeve, you will need to make sure that your armscye (the armhole of your shirt) matches the curve of your sleeve. For example if the top curve of your sleeve is 20 inches, your arm holes (front and back together) must be around 20 inches in order to fit without any tucks or pulling. In order to measure what your total armhole will be in your shirt, you will need to measure the armhole curve of the front and the back, and add them together (subtracting any seam allowance). See diagram below. However all of this can be avoided if you are using a commercial pattern for the entire sweater. ;)

Neckline

After cutting out the basic shapes -- my front, back and sleeves, I felt the the style needed something else. I cut a shallow V-neck into the front neckline and had the idea to do a tie around the neck. For the necktie, I simply used a narrow cut of the selvage, using the curl of the knit to my advantage. This tie is also used to finish the back neckline to bind the raw edge.

I stabilized the front neckline with a facing and topstitching. The facing is a 2-way stretch fabric which provides stability and flexibility for the neckline.

Facing seen from the inside of sweater

Finishing

As with my last sweater project, I finished the sleeves with elastic before turning and stitching them. Even though I'm still wondering about my choice to sew the fabric with the texture on the inside instead of out, I really like how this sweater turned out. I actually wore this sweater the day after I finished it. The only problem area was the hem of the back (not pictured). It was a little wavy. I believe that this is because the curve is more dramatic than the front due to it being 2 inches longer. I will be shortening it to be the same length as the front. Other than that, this project was definitely a success, and  I'm looking forward to the next one.  :)

Danielle

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Danielle Pierce, a fashion designer from Memphis, Tennessee, is also a skilled pattern maker and technical designer. Her clothing line, Danália by DP, specializes in resort wear for women. When not working on her own projects, Danielle assists other emerging fashion designers with production of their fashion lines. Danielle is currently preparing to launch her own blog and website. In the meantime, see some of Danielle's work here. Follow: Twitter - Instagram - Facebook

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Last update 22Sept2018

Fulling Westerly Wool

For those unfamiliar with the term, fulling is the act of turning a wool fabric into a thicker, “fuller", often warmer fabric with more body. There are several fulling methods, some used in combination. Fulling the wool to the extreme will turn the fabric into felt.

I was prompted to write this blog post by a comment I received on my first Westerly Pullover post with questions on my fulling technique. I'm in no way an expert at fulling, but I'm very willing to share my partially improvised method. I always enjoy discussions of fabrics and fibers, so if anyone reading this wants to add two (or more) cents, please do so in the comments. Recommended resources are also appreciated.

I decided to take this route because I so excited to use the Westerly fabric, knitted with natural wool from the Imperial Stock Ranch. I also, however, wanted a fabric with a little more body for the type of sweater I had in mind. I wanted a very casual, everyday sweater. I thought maybe my lacy Westerly would produce a dressier sweater than what I was aiming for this time. Fulling to the rescue!

So how does fulling work? Wool like all protein fiber has a surface layer of microscopic scales. When subjected to heat, certain soaps, agitation, or a combination of these things, the scales begin to bind together. The little spaces between the stitches get a little or a lot smaller. The fabric shrinks to some degree, though it's hard to predict how much or in what direction. A fabric with lots of drape has more body and appears thicker after fulling. A fabric that tends to ravel will now ravel less or not at all! The Westerly fabric also became a little less stretchy. 

My method of fulling is not scientific. I don't know the temperature of the water I used or how long exactly I agitated the fabric. I simply tried it first on a swatch, liked the result, and tried to replicate the result on a bigger piece. Remember your results may vary depending on fabric, temperature, and time. Wool will sometimes go quickly from slightly fulled to full-on felt. Other wool won't full at all because it's been treated to prevent shrinking or else it's pre-shrunk. Always practice on a tiny piece before working with your garment fabric. Here's what I did:

• I put very warm water (sufficient enough to cover my approximately 1.25 yards of fabric) into a tub with a small amount of unscented laundry detergent. The water temperature was cool enough for me to stick my hands in but not really comfortable on my skin. I wore rubber gloves for the process.
• I swished the fabric in the water until the yarns looked plumper and hairier but with the stitch pattern remaining visible. Though the yarn was wet, I could clearly see the change in the yarn. I'm guessing I swished it for about 2 to 3 minutes. 
• After draining the water from the tub, I rinsed the fabric with tepid water holding the shower head in my right hand and slowing redistributing the fabric as necessary with my left hand. Because I used such a small amount of detergent, this didn't take very long.
• I placed the very wet fabric in a plastic bag. The fabric was heavy because it was still full of water, as I didn't wring or roll the fabric in a towel. Instead I carried it to the (top-loading) washing machine and ran the "spin" cycle that comes after the "gentle wash" cycle.
• I allowed the fabric to dry on a flat laundry rack.

And that was it! From comparing my test swatch to untreated fabric with the same stitch pattern repeat, I know that my fabric shrunk a little in length. Since I didn't measure my garment fabric after the process, I can't be sure how similar the result was compared to the swatch, but it appears to be close.

And Now Just a Few Words about Washing Wool
One more important thing -- even if you have no intention to full your wool fabric, it's always a very good idea to wash it before laying out your sewing pattern and cutting. I know you've heard this before from me (and others), but now I have closeup pictures to show the wonderful transformation of the wool! Here's Washington Square in Deep Raspberry after washing (in cool water with a little detergent, no agitation, air dried flat) on the left and before washing on the right.

Washing "relaxes" the stitches, removes any wax used at the knitting mill, and simply makes the fabric easier to work with. 

Further Reading

• The Sweaty Knitter: Felting vs. Fulling 
• FiberArts.org: Washing Wool Fiber and Textiles 

O!

Maggie's Sweater Knit Shawl - Part 2

In Part 2 Maggie takes us step-by step through the making of her shawl, modifying the sewing of Simplicity 1098 view C [Amazon affiliate link] for use with sweater knit fabric. Missed Part 1? You can read it here.
O!

Once I had done my research, it was time to make a plan of action. After a little trial and error, I decided to use the following:

• A walking foot [affiliate link]
• Pellon Easy-Knit Fusible Tricot interfacing 
• Zigzag stitch to sew the pieces together 
• A straight stitch for the darts 
• A double needle and straight stitch to finish the edges 

To begin, after cutting my pattern pieces from the Westerly wool sweater knit, I cut several 1" strips of Easy-Knit interfacing. I fused strips of interfacing around all the edges of my pieces to stabilize them and keep them from stretching as I handled the fabric. I used my iron on a wool setting and a damp pressing cloth. While this did shrink the fibers a bit, I feel that it also made them a bit denser and easier the sew, and the resulting shrinkage is not noticeable on the finished shawl.

The next step was to sew the two main pattern pieces together. To attach the pieces I used a zigzag stitch to allow for a little stretching and movement, as the seam falls in the middle of the shawl and will likely experience some pulling and stretching.

Next, I sewed the dart in each piece using a straight stitch. To avoid the “bubble” that you sometimes get when finishing off a dart I did not backstitch, and instead tied off the ends.

Now it was time to finish the seams. I did quite a bit of experimenting with this step. I played around with a blind hem, which I am a huge fan of, but ultimately found the finished product to be a bit bulky and it was difficult to keep the fabric I was working with running in a straight line as I sewed.

So, I decided to stick with what I know and use a double needle and straight stitch. I folded the stabilized hem in half, making a ½" seam allowance and pinned. I was a little nervous about not catching the hem underneath, but only had an issue in one spot at the curve around the collar which was easy to fix.

Another idea I flirted with was mitering the corners of the shawl, which I think would have given it a nice, smooth look on the corners. However, after a little experimentation I decided that for my first project, it was just a little bit too much to try for. Instead, I took a look at some of the blankets I have around the house and studied how their corners were finished. I decided that trimming the corners and folding them over, while not the prettiest finish on the inside, would be a good idea for this first go round. I must say that while my finishing technique won’t win any awards, it’s not bad for a first try and I don’t think anyone else would ever know the difference.

The last step was to attach the loop to the front. To do this, I interfaced the long ends of the fabric piece and sewed them at a ½” seam as I did with the main pattern pieces. To attach it to the shawl, I folded the short ends under and sewed it again with the double needle and straight stitch. I chose this method again because this piece will be pulled and tugged on quite a bit, and I wanted to use a stitch that would look nice from the outside but also have some stretch and give.

And that's it! The beauty of this project is that it is so simple, yet so lovely when finished, and be easily be dressed up or down. It makes a great first time project as it is only a few pieces, there is no sizing involved and you will be introduced to a few different techniques that you can use in the future. So, if you have never tried sewing with sweater knits and want to give it a try, this is great place to start!

Maggie

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Maggie is a sewer and blogger living in North Carolina. She has known how to sew for as long as she can remember but admits to not being very good at it until just a few years ago. Maggie continues to learn something new every time she sits at her machine. Owner of UpSeam by Maggie, where she make handbags and wallets from upcycled fabrics and notions, Maggie also loves to share her knowledge and projects with others on her blog Miss Maggie Makes.

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Affiliate link in this article was inserted by the owner of this site.
Last update 22Apr2016