Stitching up a New Lease on Life

Headshot

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Did this picture grab your attention? I thought so. A little button usage and a scrap of fabric makes my heart go all a-flutter, too.

Remember the blog post I did at the very end of 2010 about Wearing Your Art on Your Sleeve? We’ll ever since I wrote that article, I’ve been flipping through the Winter/Spring issue of Stitch and hunting down the perfect sweater to make my own asymmetrical pullover (p. 56).

I finally found a great crewneck sweater at my local thrift store (you didn’t think I was going to experiment on a brand new sweater, did you?), picked a thread color and a couple buttons, and sat down to work.

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The Sweater Before

The instructions by designer Kirsten Coplans are pretty easy. (Get full instructions including clear illustrations in the Winter/Spring issue of Stitch.)

1. Cut the sweater

This includes cutting from the collar to the hem just a bit off center, trimming off the cuffs and hem (partially or completely—I went for completely).

2. Sew the sweater

Almost as easy as step one, this step includes using a zigzag stitch around the new neckline, hem, sleeves and back up that slightly off-center seam.

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The Sweater After

 

The directions also call for tacking down the newly created lapel with button, but the mixed-media nut in me wanted a little more. I used a bit of the excess hem to create a little spiral around one of the buttons, to create the little flower you see in picture above.

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Detail of Neckline

I’m looking forward to altering more clothing and you can bet you’ll find me rifling through the sale rack at the discount department stores looking for my next victim…ahem, I mean project. I hope I’ve inspired you to give it a try, too!

Cheers,

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