Friday, January 18, 2013

Flirty Sweater

I picked up a nice little black turtleneck for a cool ONE buckaroo recently.  Not bad right?  There's a bit of mohair in it so it's nice and soft.  But I already have a black turtleneck (or two).  But how do I pass up such a bargain?!!?!  Oh, what a dilemma~

Aha!  Let's cut it up!


Here's what you need to make your own flirty sweater:
-sweater
-basic sewing kit
-chalk for marking lines
-lace or ribbon

This is what my turtleneck started out as:

Booooorrrrring~
Steps:
1) Cut off the neck!  Don't be scared, just measure it out, draw a line and then go for it!


I measured an inch all the way around first and then widened it out on the sides to make more of a boatneck (round necks don't suit me, but you can make it whatever shape you like to wear.)


2) As soon as possible run over to your serger or sewing machine and finish that edge off.  By that I mean zigzag it or even better take your serger to it.  Whatever you do, don't pull or stretch it or it'll unravel.

Here's what my turtleneck looked like once it was cut.

I was tempted to stop here,
but what kind of crafter would I be
if I didn't embellish?!?!
Be careful not to cut too drastically in the back.  I find that tops lie much nicer when you don't take too much out.  The extra fabric gives it some stability to stay up~

3) Next, choose a shoulder and make a couple of diagonal cuts.  This is where your tie will go.

Cut that little triangle right off.
4) Again, make sure to serge the cut edges.

5) Now turn your serged edges to the inside and press.  Pin it down and sew your edges evenly.


Now my turtleneck looked like this:


6) I love the look of the inspiration sweater (see below) but I felt like ribbon just didn't suit me.  I tried some lace I had but just couldn't find the right one.  I didn't want to go out and buy anything because firstly, I have waaay too much stuff in my stash, and secondly, it's too freaking cold outside to go out if I don't absolutely have to.

Then I remembered that I have a whole bag of lace collars!  Aha!  So flirty, so romantic.  They were perfect!


But I didn't want to use them the way you're supposed to use lace collars.  Instead I pinned the longest end to the part of the shoulder that I cut out, sewed it down, and voila!



If I hadn't been watching a fairly stupid episode of Housewives of Beverly Hills (ugh, why do I even admit to such embarrassing behaviour) this probably would've taken about 20 minutes to complete.  So easy, and so pretty!

Now get out there and flirt!


Here's the top I found on Pinterest that inspired this project:

                         Source: k.ifeng.com via Etcetorize on Pinterest

Hmmmm, I just realized how low the cut is on the sleeve, I might have to make some adjustments, that's far more flirty!

Here's another pic for inspiration:
                                                                             Source: lolobu.com via Etcetorize on Pinterest
This project was featured here:

Adorned From Above




21 comments:

Cranberry Morning said...

That is by far the best thing to do with a turtleneck sweater! So much better, so cute, and so nice not to feel like you're being strangled!

Spittin-Toad said...

Nicely Done! :)
Denise

L.A. said...

Super cute! I'm not too confident on my sewing/edging skills to tackle this one yet but it looks great! Saw you at "Do Something crafty" at See Vanessa Craft! Have a great weekend

Unknown said...

Great sweater! Happy to connect with you through the mentoring program. I'm your newest GFC follower!
Nancy
www.dosmallthingwithlove.com

Judith said...

You have taken the old turtleneck into the future with this change. Love it...J

Brenda said...

So sweet! I love "off shoulder" sweaters and cannot stand anything around my neck, so this is a lovely idea.
I'm thinking this would be a nice idea to make my daughter for Valentines`
Cheers from Oshawa

Theresa said...

I'm loving all your recent DIY clothing posts! Bonus, I think I may have a turtleneck in my stash. Keep up the inspiring work.

Unknown said...

I really love this!! I found your blog through pinterest & I cant get enough!

If you have a chance I would love for you to check out my blog Small Town Chic. It's a mix between fashion related posts & thrift store makeovers.

http://smalltownchic47.blogspot.com

xoxo, Cat

Sandy said...

Clever! Really!
I love sweaters but can't
wear turtle necks (so tight
on my neck). This idea will
be filed for future use.
Thanks for sharing.
Sandy

Megan/Brassy Apple said...

Thanks for linking up to ispy refashion! I've given your tutorial a shout out on my FB page! :)

Katrine said...

Adorable! You would never know you used one of those lace collars on it. So pretty! I found you from Sew can do.

Jill said...

Very cute and flirty Tamara! And what a bargain too! :)

Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a fabulous week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

Diana of Diana Rambles said...

Super cute!!

Adorned From Above said...

This is so cute and easy. Thanks so much for sharing at Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop 36.
Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above
Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Nichi @ The Mandatory Mooch

Thriftanista in the City said...

Love the neckline! Will have to try. I have bows I made a couple of years ago already in my stash. Would love to use them as I'm obviously not going to finish the original project. Thanks for sharing!

EveryDay Bloom said...

Great refashion. Good job!!! Thanks for sharing. Lynaea @ EverydayBloom.com

Karen at Bargain-ista.com said...

Darling! Looks so much better! And you're right, it is flirty ;)

Anestazia said...

I've been wanting to do this same project but I'm scared. I have all of the parts, except a sewing machine... so I'm afraid that the cut sweater won't hold up. I'm even thinking about asking my seamstress to do it! Hehe.. Yours turned out great though!

Anestazia @ Eccentric Delirium

Adorned From Above said...

Hi Tamara,
Thank you so much for linking with my Wednesday Adorned From Above Blog Hop last week. I have listed your posting as one of my featured links for this week.

http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/01/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-blog-hop_29.html

You can grab the featured blogger button in my sidebar.

Thank you again for participating, and the link party is opened for this week.

Sincerely,
Debi and Charly
www.adornedfromabove.com

SewSweetVIntage said...

Great up cycle. Pinned. Stop by http://www.sewsweetvintage.com/2013/01/his-and-her-pillows.html
or
http://www.sewsweetvintage.com/2013/01/valentine-tie-dye.html

Rose, Fine Craft Guild said...

Absolutely darling. I had seen those Pinterest photos too and loved them.

Linkwithin

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