Tutorial~ Sweater to a Make Believe Tweed Jacket~

Before I show you this tutorial, let me talk about myself and clothing a little bit.

As I mentioned before, I like clothes. In fact, I like so many different styles that it is hard for me to say, "this is my style". Although there is one thing I have noticed about myself and that is after I experiment with many differnt stlyes, I always go back to the classic feminine stlye. There is a reason why.

I was in Junior high at that time, It was one late night. I could not go to sleep. (I was a night owl back then too). I decided to watch TV for a little bit and flipping through the channels, I found an old Movie. The actress was so beautiful and the clothing she wore in the movie was so classy and captivating.

Later I found out that the actress was Audrey Hepburn, and the movie was called "Breakfast in Tiffany's"... After that I watched "Roman Holiday", "My Fair Lady", "Sabrina", and "Charade". A few years ago on Valentine's day, my husband got me a bunch of Abdrey's DVD's!

I love how she carried herself (always with a great posture and smile) in those movies, and the clothes she wore had class. Not too revealing, yet very feminine. I must say, whenever I watch her movies, they are always fresh and inspiring. I never get tired of them. To me, Audry and the clothes she wore will never go out of style.

Lateley I have been wanting a tweed jacket. Perhaps, something like you see in Audrey's movies. No collar, fitted, it is so beautiful that, as I wear it, my back will straighten, I might feel I could be like Audrey...classic beauty...

But, hey, do I live life like that? Hmmm...maybe not, first of all, where am I going to wear it? I can't cook, clean and drive around like a maniac (sometimes) to school, to after school activities, to the groceries, etc. I should get something more real for now.

So, I went shopping IN MY CLOSET. Then, I found this old sweater I haven't touched for several years. Then, the idea came to me...


For those who read looong intro, THANK YOU! Ok, I will show you what I did.

You will need:

One old sweater (mine was cotton and spandex combined i think...)

Less then half a yard of knit fabric, and thread that matches

If you want to make your own button, a button making kit

How to:

1. Draw a line in the middle and cut! There is no turning back at this point...


2. I found the knit fabric in Joann's clearance section. It is a little darker than the sweater, but it goes well together.


Cut 2 pieces of 2" x whatever the length of the edges of the sweater. Fold the strips in half, so you will know the center of the fabric. Cover the edges, pin them and sew.

3. Measure the length of the front openings and around the neck. Add those numbers to figure out how long you will need the strip to be to make ruffles. I recommend to have at least 2-3 times its length.

Cut, 2-3 pieces of 2" wide x width of the fabrics strips to make ruffles. Piece the strips together and make a long strip.


4. Make ruffles. (If you need to see how to make ruffles, go here)

5. Pin the finished ruffles all around the edge.


6. Sew the ruffle on both sides of the big stitches. It is ideal to sew 1/8" next to the line. So, both sides combined, it will be 1/4" wide. Pull out the middle stitch from the ruffle.


After this you can say you are done. If you want to add more details to the sweater, keep reading.

{BUTTON}

I got carried away and decided to stitch and make my own button. You can buy button making kits at Joann's, or, you can buy button.


Also, I cut 1" x 8" fabric and made a rope to close the button.





{Pocket}

I also added a fake pocket opening to each side.

1. Iron a strip of interfacing in the back of the area you want the fake pocket.


2. Pin a fabric(1" X 4") in front (make sure that it is on top of the interfacing).


3. Sew in the middle


4. Fold the top half to the bottom edge, pin and sew the sides and the bottom.




{Sleeves}

1. Measure the circumference of the sleeve opening. Cut 1" x (whatever the lengh of the opening X 2 or 3) to make the ruffles for the sleeves.


2. Pin it, and sew. I must say that it was a little tricky since the opening is so small, but if you do it slowly you should be fine.


My Jacket is not quite like Audrey's but I like how it turned out.


It is pink and ruffley, I like to pair it with jeans or cargo pants so it won't be overly feminine. It is very flexible and comfortable, since it was a sweater before. Perfect for someone like me... I will take baby steps on the path to become like Audrey.