I have been wanting to do this hack ever since I made the Fearne as a cardigan sewing pattern! The Fearne sewing pattern is such a basic oversized base to work with that you really can do SO much with it! Today, I'm going to share a sewing tutorial with you to turn your Fearne cardigan into a crew neck jumper. This is such a FUN make that you can use for leftover scrap fabric or remnant fabric to make fun colour block clothes!
Pattern pieces you will need:
- Fearne back bodice
- Fearne long sleeve
- Fearne knit back waistband
- Fearne knit long sleeve cuff
Step 1
We want to know how much to lower the neckline for the front of your jumper. Grab your back bodice piece and hold it against your front body. Try to get the shoulder of the pattern to rest on your shoulder and roughly mark on the paper pattern where your collar bone is. For reference, I marked 6cm down.
Using a French curve or pattern master, draw a smooth curve from this line up to the shoulder seam.
Cut this piece out but KEEP it to use for the back piece.
Step 2
Place the bodice pattern piece onto folded fabric and cut x1 on the fold for the front bodice (minus the cut away section)
Cut x 1 on the fold for the back bodice (include the cut away section)
Cut the remaining pattern pieces out: 2 x long sleeves, 2 x sleeve cuffs, 2 x back waistband. We need to create a new pattern piece for the crew neckline.
Step 3
Measure the length of the front and back neckline and add the two measurements together.
In this example we have 14cm for the front neckline and 10cm for the back neckline. This gives us 24cm. Now because these pattern pieces are only half of the bodices we need to double this amount to get the full neckline circumference. This measurement is now 48cm for the whole neckline circumference.
To work out the length needed for the neckline piece, we need to minus 20% off this 48cm. This will give us a measurement that is 80% of the neckline circumference so we can stretch the neckline piece into the bodice.
Use the formula below:
48cm x 0.8 = 38.4cm
Using the same width as the original Fearne neckline piece, my new neckline piece will be a rectangle measuring 38.4cm for the width and 6cm for the height.
Step 4
Sew the garment together using the original manual as normal. Sew the following in the regular way:
- Sew the shoulders
- Sew the sleeves
- Sew the side seams
- Sew the cuffs
The hemline is slightly different. You have 2 x back waistband pieces: join these together at the side seams on both sides to form one long continuous loop.
Pin this to the bodice (right sides together), making sure CF/CB notches and side seams are lined up. Stretch the waistband as you're sewing to fit the bodice. Your make will now look like this...
Step 5
Sew the neckline piece together at the short ends (right sides together).
Fold in half lengthways so wrong sides are together. Put pins in the neckline to mark quarter points
Put pins in the bodice neckline also at quarter points. You'll have a pin in the CF and CB of the bodice and then pins at the half way point between them. This won't be at the shoulder seam as this seam sits more towards the back of the neckline.
Pin the neckline piece to the bodice (right sides together), making sure neckline seam lines up with the CB notch. Match up the remaining 3 quarter points and stretch the neckline piece as you're sewing to fit the bodice.
TA-DAAAA! You have one finished Fearne crew neck jumper!
You will need to purchase the Fearne sewing pattern in order to make this jumper!