A Parting Gift to Winter

This refashion was poorly timed. The result screams "winter! winter!" but when I look outside it is decidedly (if not officially) springtime. But come next December, I will be be living in this sweater refashion.

BEFORE:

A cream colored sweater from Old Navy. The garment is a few years old and I'm not sure if the sleeves were always baggy in weird places or if they were stretched out over time.

The inspiration for this refashion was this tutorial from MadebyLex (the blog formerly known as My Mama Made It). I had scraps of well worn grey t-shirt fabric left over from another refashion, and the tutorial called for "chiffon (the kind that won’t fray)" but I supplemented black swimsuit lining because it has a nice weight and texture, and I knew it wouldn't fray.

I fixed the sleeves by cutting off at an appropriate length, and then sewing on a few inches of the ribbing from the bottom of the original sleeve. Note that the ribbing will stretch out considerably, so be sure to cut it longer (taller?) than you think you will need. I used the pins to mark off both pieces into quarters, pinned the pieces together, and then sewed a zig-zag while stretching the ribbing pieces.

Next I cut (and cut and cut) the little petals from each of the three fabrics (black spandex, grey t-shirt, and the remaining cream sleeve fabric). Luckily the Olympics were on while I was slowly making my way through this project, this is definitely a project to do while occupying your brain with something else.

Finally I began sewing on the decoration with x's made by 2 petals (see tutorial). I hand stitched, and found that it went by very quick compared to the cutting phase. Below is what the inside looked like (note the interfacing, it is highly recommended by Lex to combat the weight).

My petals were MUCH more dense than in the original tutorial, which makes the look heavier, and leads me to believe this is most appropriate for winter-wear. The technique is like an adult version of this tissue paper craft technique that I rather enjoyed in childhood, so it makes me happy.

Here's a close-up:

Don't you wish you could feel the soft comforting texture? Well you can, but you have to make your own first!