Cardigan Sewing Pattern Hack

inside: learn how to create an easy cardigan sewing pattern with a t-shirt pattern you already own. Sewing a cardigan in any size is easy with this simple sewing pattern hack. Sewing tutorial to create a cozy cardigan from a pattern you already own.

Cardigan Sewing Pattern

It’s cozy sewing time!!! And I’m so excited! It’s hard for me to sew for seasons coming up. I’m totally an in-the-moment sew-er. So now that fall weather is here, I’m all about sewing cozy. In addition to this cardigan sewing pattern hack today, I will also share a few links to other cozy sewing projects.

You can find my fall/winter fabric picks here.

Let’s take a closer look at these cozy tops I’ve been sewing lately. I sewed two versions for Rose and one for myself. All the fabric seen here is from Sincerely Rylee Fabric.

Each one of these cozy cardigans is a bit different sewing hack from a t-shirt pattern and below I will show you each version. I hope that all these options inspire you to be creative with your patterns and just try… Don’t be afraid of making a mistake… I challenge you to just try {haha}

Cardigan Sweater Sewing Pattern

Here are a few more photos of Rose’s cardigans. The yellow version is just a slightly modified t-shirt with an open front and the purple version has drop shoulders. Both have a binding all around the edge of the top.

My top is sewn with a super cozy sweater fabric called Belle. It reminds me a bit of terry cloth on the inside, but the outside is pretty. I wasn’t sure how it would all sew up, but I love it. I’ve seen others use the terry cloth side out, but I prefer it in. I also started with a womens t-shirt pattern and added drop shoulders and an open front with band. So cozy.

Other Cozy Tops to Sew:

• 20+ sweater sewing patterns
• How to sew a sweater {without a pattern}
• Split Hem Sweater
• Sweater with Cowl
• Raglan Sweater

Free Cardigan Sewing

Ok! Ready to sew? Grab some cozy sweater fabric and a t-shirt pattern from your stash and let’s get started. I used the Womens Boyfriend Tee for the women’s version and the Basic Tshirt Pattern for the girl versions. You can also use any looser fit t-shirt pattern you have.

I shortened the sleeves by two inches and added a cuff in all versions.

In the photos below the green is the original pattern in the normal size from the chart. I added a half inch to the side seams on both the front and back. this also added a half inch to the bottom of the arm. I cut the back on the fold, then cut the front with it open.

You will need to also curve the top to take the point off the neck. I also added half inch to either side of the arms to make it a bit looser.

To sew the cardigan first sew the shoulder seams, then sew on the sleeves. You can add the cuff before or after you sew the side seams. Here is a video showing how to add the binding – this works for any of the cardigan versions here. If you are having trouble with the video try disabling your ad blocker or try a different browser.

The second cardigan has a looser drop shoulder version. This is the same Boys T-shirt pattern base. You can also start with any looser fit shirt you have. I traced and cut out the original version, then added a bit to the design {seen in black lines}. I lowered the arm hole by 1 inch and curved it out. I also extended the shoulder, then draw a line down to the underarm. This will create the drop shoulder.

Edit your sleeve pattern by lining up the the original sleeve cap with the original shoulder. Place it going straight out from the shoulder. Then mark where the sleeve crosses the NEW drop shoulder. Draw a line across the shoulder and cut off. You will cut the new sleeve shape and also add a bit of width to match the new shoulder. Angle down to the wrist.

You also will curve the top at the neckline and bottom at the waist for the band.

Cut your bands about 3″ wide. {See the video} You will need two joined together. So sew the short ends together to begin.

Just like in the video I started at the back bottom with my band. Stretch just slightly and clip the band all the way around the outside of the cardigan. {again – see this in action on the video}

You can choose to top-stitch the band if you want. I just used a straight stitch at 3.0 length.

And finally I used the Women’s boyfriend tee with edits very similar to the purple kids cardigan. Drop shoulder, wedge sleeve and band to finish the whole front. I decided the length my measuring from my shoulder down. You can also see here how I eased out the side of the front and back just a bit as well. Cut the back on the fold and the front open with curved top and bottom.

There you are! Inspiration to create fun cardigans from patterns you probably already have in your pattern library or free ones you can use here. Enjoy and make sure to share photos!