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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
I'm also the author of DIY Wardrobe Makeovers!

How to sew on sweaters in action--scarf and sweater

While I really love to learn new things, there are some techniques (sewing, salad dressing-making, whatever it is) that I go back to again and again. Favorite standbys that I really rely on. Knowing how to take in a sweater is one of these.

Sweaters, very heavy knits that aren't usually made with standard thread and basic sewing machines, are definitely different to sew on than is a woven garment or even a tee. But over the weekend I took in a chunky cotton sweater and I put back together a thick wooly infinity scarf, using a regular machine and thread!

So, in the past I've done tutorials on how to sew on sweaters--the basic how to take in a sweater, which also applies to thick tees, and an update for chunkier sweaters. So I won't go over all the steps for you now, but it is cool to see the transformation!!

I got this cotton cable fisherman-ey sweater from the Forever 21 online clearance, so I hadn't tried it on and it was final sale. When it arrived and I tried it on, it was massive in the body but slim in the arms. (I think I'm missing something here. This must be some sort of new, ironic style. I know baggy stuff is in, but this was not flattering! Sorry, Forever 21, I guess I'm too traditional for you...?)

So here you can see, the super-unflattering big boxy bubbly before, then the sweater right after I took in the side seam and trimmed the excess since there was so much, and then the difference in size when it was done!

And here it is.

The scarf. Also a sweater project from this weekend, I found this half-off at Goodwill and loved the herringbone pattern and nice wool. It was a little shorter than your average scarf, and had no fringe, so I figured it'd make a good infinity scarf like I've done in my French seam infinity scarf conversion tutorial.

But when I got it home, I saw it had serged edges and a shadow from a seam... I think it was sold as an infinity scarf, and someone took it apart! So I put it back together. 

So look, it's easy to sew on a knitted garment! If you have any in your closet that need fixing, go nuts!

11 comments

  1. Anonymous2/15/2013

    I love that Jacket you are wearing with the infinity scarf, where is it from?

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  2. I bought a men's sweater for $1 a while back because it had awesome details, and you inspired me to attack it this weekend! I just have to figure out if I want to change out the buttons, how short the sleeves should be, etc. So many decisions, I'll share if it turns out well. :)

    Also, I mentioned you in today's post because in the past you have shared how you got style inspiration from TV shows. I did the same thing!

    http://vintagezest.blogspot.com/2013/02/style-sewing-inspiration-hart-of-dixie.html

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  3. Fabulous re-fashioning of the sweater!
    ~Olgalyn

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  4. Johanna2/15/2013

    I just refashioned a sweater of my mom's that I loved, but that had dropped shoulders and was really baggy. I cut off the sleeves and recut the armscyes to match my shoulder width, then took in the sides, then reattached the sleeves. It looks great and I'll actually wear it now! Love your remake of the white sweater.

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  5. big fan of the infinity scarf!

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  6. It's good to know that this is possible.

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  7. Beautifully done. I read your earlier tutorial...thank you for posting it. Lynaea @ EverydayBloom.com

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  9. I never would have thought to take in a too-wide sweater. Both of your projects turned out so well. I especially think the infinity scarf you put back together is fantastic! Have a great weekend, Suzannah!

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  10. The scarf is adorable and the sweater turned out great!

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  11. I love your outfits so much! You're my wardrobe inspiration!

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