NZSFSBDL By Mary Mulari Sweatshirts for All Seasons
Watch This information is based on the Sewing With Nancy television series of the same name. A 30 minute DVD is also available. View (and review) Nancy s sewing techniques at the time and location you find most convenient. Ask for Sewing With Nancy DVDs and books at your favorite sewing center, or purchase them through the Nancy s Notions sewing catalog. To request a free catalog, call 800.833.0690. Sewing With Nancy is aired exclusively on public television. If Sewing With Nancy is not currently aired in your area, contact your public television station s program director. For a free listing of public television stations, visit our website at sewingwithnancy.com. Sewing With Nancy books, videos, and DVDs are made possible through generous support from the following underwriters: Visit Our Website sewingwithnancy.com Get updates on Sewing With Nancy programs. Receive our free email newsletters. Contact our knowledgeable Sewing Advisors. Shop the online catalog. Look for exclusive online products. Editor: Pat Hahn Design & Illustrations: Laure Noe Cover Photos: Dale Hall Project Design & Development: Mary Mulari
Sweatshirts for All Seasons by Mary Mulari For most people, sweatshirts are a wardrobe basic. Spring, summer, fall, winter no matter what the season, a sweatshirt can play a supporting, or even a starring role in virtually any ensemble. Each of the sweatshirts pictured in this book started as a pullover sweatshirt, and each used the same basic construction modifications. Follow those instructions, then add appliqués appropriate for the time of year. You ll be ready to step out in style, no matter what the season. Making a Cardigan Sweatshirt Turn a plain pullover sweatshirt into a front opening jacket with this easy technique. Choose from a variety of closures and appliqués to make your cardigan sweatshirt one of a kind. Supplies needed: One pullover sweatshirt 1 yd. cotton fabric ½ yd. lightweight fusible interfacing Matching all-purpose thread Face the bottom of the sweatshirt. - Measure around the sweatshirt bottom edge; add 1" to the measurement. - Cut a strip of fabric 4" wide and the length determined by your measurement. - Join 4" ends of the fabric with a ¼" seam, right sides together. Press the seam open. Instructions: 1 Cut the bottom ribbing from the sweatshirt. Try on the sweatshirt to check the fit. If the sweatshirt is too wide at the hemline, adjust side seams to narrow the shirt. If the hemline edge is not straight, trim the edge to even it. 2 Finish the hem using one of the following techniques: Turn up the lower edge of the sweatshirt and stitch. - Fold the sweatshirt edge to the wrong side of the shirt at the desired finished length. - Determine the hem width. Consider the sweatshirt length and your personal preference. Most of the sweatshirts featured in this book have hem widths of 1½" to 2". - Pin hem in place and sew two rows Right side of straight stitching approximately ¼" apart to secure the hem. Increase stitch length to 3.0 to create a ready-to-wear stitch appearance. Note: For another Right side option, stitch the hem with a double needle, sewing from the right side of the fabric. You ll save Double needle stitching time and get two rows of perfectly parallel stitching at once. - Trim excess fabric that extends beyond the hem. -1- - Fold the facing in half, wrong sides together, meeting the cut edges. - Determine finished length of sweatshirt; add ¼". Trim excess sweatshirt length, if any. - Meet the cut edges of the facing to the sweatshirt hemline, right sides together, placing facing seam at the center back or the side seam. Stitch the facing to the sweatshirt with a ¼" seam. Press. Right side - Wrap the facing to the inside of the sweatshirt so none of the facing is exposed.
- Press the facing in place, pin, and secure with two lines of straight stitching spaced ¼" apart. (See note on double needle stitching.) 4 Prepare the front placket. Measure the length of the center front line; add 2". Cut a 7" wide strip of fabric equal to that measurement; cut a similar strip of fusible interfacing. Fuse interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric. Zigzag, serge, or pink the long edges of the fabric. Turn under and press ½" at the top edge of the fabric. Turn under and press 1½" on the right edge of the fabric. 7" Turn under 1/2" 3 Mark the center front of the sweatshirt. Fold sweatshirt, meeting and pinning shoulder seams together, with the front of the shirt facing outward. Meet and pin shirt side seams or folds together. - Place a pin at the top and the bottom of the center fold. Remove the other pins so the sweatshirt is flat, front side up. Fold 5 Center front + 2" Join the placket to the front of the sweatshirt. Place and pin the right side of the fabric strip to the sweatshirt front, aligning the fabric fold to the shirt s center front line. Position the top edge ¼" above the neckline ribbing seam. Unfold the 1½" section and pin it to the sweatshirt front. Position edge 1/4" above ribbing seam Turn under 1-1/2" - Align a yardstick with the upper and lower pins. Using chalk or a fabric marking pen or pencil, draw a solid line from top to bottom edges. Stitch ¼" on each side of the fabric fold. Press the seams; cut open the front along the foldline. -2-
6 Complete the placket. Right side of the placket: - Press the right side of the fabric toward the sweatshirt center. Determine the finished width of the placket and fold the cut edge to the wrong side of the sweatshirt. Placket widths on pictured sweatshirts varied from 1¾" to 2¾". - Above the top edges of the placket, turn back the sweatshirt ribbing at an angle; pin in place. - At the bottom of the sweatshirt, turn up the fabric edge to align with the sweatshirt edge. - Pin the cut edge of the placket in place and sew from the right side of the sweatshirt, either stitching in the ditch of the placket seam or stitching ¼" from the fabric edge to form the cardigan placket. Sew from the bottom to the top of the sweatshirt, also stitching over the neck ribbing to secure the fold. Turn facing to wrong side Cardigan Closures The way in which you close the cardigan can create a totally new look. Try one or more of the following closures to make a one of a kind sweatshirt. 1-3- -or- Expose 1/4" of facing Use standard buttons and buttonholes. Stitch appliqués to the placket first; then stitch buttonholes through the appliqués, as shown on page 15. Buttons shown on sweatshirts are courtesy of Dill Buttons of America. Stitch in the ditch Stitch 1/4" from fabric edge Left side of the placket: - Press the right side of the fabric toward the sweatshirt center. - Turn the entire fabric strip to the wrong side of the sweatshirt; press and pin in place. Or, leave ¼" of the fabric exposed and turn the rest to the wrong side of the shirt. - At the bottom of the sweatshirt, turn up the fabric edge to align with the sweatshirt edge. - Pin the fabric in place and topstitch to secure the placket to the sweatshirt, stitching in the ditch or on the sweatshirt. 2 Add ties made of ribbons or fabrics. See pages 11 and 16 for examples. All ties shown are 10" long.
3 Use ponytail elastics as easy closures. Cut off metal sections of the elastics before pinning loops in place on the right or wrong sides of the plackets. Stitch over the elastic ends to secure them to the placket. Cover the elastic ends on the right side of the placket with appliqués or a strip of fabric stitched in place. See examples on pages 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14, and 17. 2 3 4 Temporarily position the appliqués on the sweatshirt with pins or a light fusing. Try on the shirt to test design placement. When you re satisfied with the placement, fuse the designs to the garment. Use a press cloth over suede-like fabrics to protect them from impressions made by the iron soleplate. Stitch the appliqués to the garment. Pin lightweight tear-away stabilizer to the wrong side of the sweatshirt behind the design areas. This type of stabilizer is easily removed from designs stitched with an open zigzag or blanket stitching. Cardigan Technique Variations Some appliqué designs and trims must be stitched to the sweatshirt before the placket fabric is attached. For example, see the snowflake design on page 14 and also the rickrack trim on page 17. Appliqué Technique and Tips Quick and easy appliqué is the theme for the designs on these sweatshirts. We chose Nu-Suede (a suede-like polyester microfiber fabric with a satin back) and cotton batiks for all the designs. We secured the appliqués to the sweatshirts in one of two ways: Some were stitched with a straight stitch and an exposed fabric edge, creating raw edge appliqué. Others were stitched with an open zigzag or blanket stitch rather than using solid satin stitching to completely cover the edges. 1 Preparing the appliqués: Trace appliqué designs onto paper-backed fusible web such as Lite Steam-A-Seam 2. Note: All designs are mirror imaged so completed designs will appear as on the pictured garments. Cut out each design piece, leaving a bit of space between each shape. If the fusible web has two paper layers, remove the layer without the tracing on it and fuse the shapes to the wrong side of chosen appliqué fabrics following the iron temperature and pressure recommended by the manufacturer. Cut out each shape along traced lines; remove the paper backing. Paper-backed fusible web Wrong side -4- Tear-away stabilizer Use an Open Toe Foot on the sewing machine to increase visibility while stitching on the appliqués. Choose thread matched to the appliqué designs for stitching that blends in; select a high contrast thread color for stitch detail that stands out. Adjust the sewing machine for a narrow zigzag (for example, a 2.5 width and 1.6 stitch length) or a blanket stitch. Experiment on fabric remnants to test both the stitch width and length. For raw edge appliqué, set the machine for a standard straight stitch or a multiple straight stitch. Multiple Straight stitch straight stitch Blanket stitch 5. After stitching all designs to the sweatshirt, trim thread ends and carefully remove the stabilizer from the back of the shirt. Tear gently to avoid pulling out or distorting the appliqué stitches.
Bunch of Flowers Cut ⅜" bias strips for flower stems, or use narrow bias tape. Wrap strips over edges of the cardigan placket opening and continue the strip on the left side of the sweatshirt. Use ponytail elastics for closures. Small leaf Large leaf Flower bunch stem wrap Adjust size and width to fit your bunch of flowers. -5-
Geometrics Cut fabric for the pocket using the outline below, adding hem allowances on all edges. Turn under side and top hems. Use center triangle for closure and placket trims. Use ponytail elastics for closures. Finished pocket size Note: Designs are already mirror imaged. -6-
Polka Dots, Oval, & Stripes Trace and fuse stripe block to fabric; cut apart to form stripes. Use ponytail elastics and large square buttons for closures. Cover ends of ponytail elastics with oval appliqués. -7-
Leaf Mix Cut ½" bias strips or bias tape for branches. For added detail, stitch leaf outlines over appliqués. -8-
Flames Use ponytail elastics for closures. -9-
Flower and Vines For a layered flower, position a smaller flower over a larger flower. Use red fabric with a yellow center to create a poinsettia. Cover ponytail elastic closures with a ¾" x 9¼" overlay. Topstitch in place. -10-
Branch and Buds Cut closure patches approximately 1" wide x 1½" long. Cut ribbon or fabric ties approximately 10" long. Use a portion of the design to accent the sleeve. -11- Optional: Replace buds with round berry/cherry appliqués.
Birds on Branches Fill in birds eyes with satin stitching, a small button, or a small black sew-on snap. -12-
Framed Hearts To have raw edges on the frames, add ¼" fabric beyond the fused frame edges. Stitch ¼" from the fabric edges with a straight stitch or a multiple straight stitch to secure the frame. Optional: Add designs and heart buttons to sleeves. Button placement -13-
Snowflakes Finished placket is 1" wide. Optional: Add a snowflake to one sleeve. Use ponytail elastics as closures. Make a whole large snowflake by overlapping two halves on the dotted line. 14 Note: Designs are already mirror imaged.
Tulip Tree Finished placket is 2¼" wide. Optional: Add tulip appliqué to one sleeve. Fuse and stitch appliqués over buttonhole areas on placket before stitching buttonholes. 15
Stars and Stripes Use 10" red ribbon ties. Sweatshirt fabric shows through star hole cut in flag. -16-
Deck the Halls Use narrow rick rack for Christmas ball hangers. Stitch wide rick rack to center front line before attaching placket fabric. Use ponytail elastics as closures. Cover ends of closures with ¾" x 13½" placket trim. Christmas ball topper -17- Editor: Pat Hahn Design & Illustrations: Laure Noe Photos: Dale Hall
Sweatshirts for All Seasons Bunch of Flowers, p. 5 Geometrics, p. 6 Polka Dots, Oval, & Stripes, p. 7 Leaf Mix, p. 8 Flames, p. 9 Flower and Vines, p. 10 Branch and Buds, p. 11 Birds on Branches, p. 12 Framed Hearts, p. 13 Snowflakes, p. 14 Tulip Tree, p. 15 Stars and Stripes, p. 16 Deck the Halls, p. 17 Printed in the United States of America 2008, Nancy s Notions ; 333 Beichl Ave., PO Box 683; Beaver Dam WI 53916-0683 U(a98612*RKPQLl(V