DIY: UPCYCLE A SHIRT OR PULLOVER SWEATER TO A CARDIGAN

 

    A few weeks ago I went thrifting for the 1st time at a Good Will here on St.Thomas.  One of the purchases I made was this embroidered shirt.   

  I'm sure it was meant for church and fancy affairs at one point, but the stars aligned and it became mine for only one dollar. What attracted me to this shirt is the fact that it looked pretty similar to an embroidered cardigan that I've been stalking on Forever 21's website.   

    The only downer was that my thrift find was a shirt, not a cardigan. That's when I got the idea to turn this lovely embroidered pullover shirt into a lovely embroidered cardigan!
Here's the DIY below!
Supplies

• sewing machine or needle and thread
• scissors
• thread that matches or compliments your soon to be cardigan
• (optional) marking tool (pencil, chalk, etc.)

Here's What You Do If your shirt has lining like my shirt did, carefully cut it away from where it's tacked on.   

 
Lay the shirt out on a flat surface.

    On the front of the shirt, note  or lightly mark the center of your shirt. I would suggest turning your shirt inside out if you're going to mark a line on it.    Cut it right down the middle or on the line that you marked. 

    Now that you've cut the shirt down the middle, you have two raw edges.    Fold the raw edges inwards (towards the inside of the shirt) and lightly iron it to ensure that the folds stay in place. The pink line in the photo below shows where the edges of your soon to be cardigan should end up after folding.   

Straight stitch the fold into place and you've got yourself a new cardigan!     

  Think of all the pull over tops you never wear because you want to be able to take them off without messing up your hairstyle.     Show me your creations when you make them with hashtag #luvmika87 on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.