ADD RIBBON TRIM TO A CARDIGAN
Is your cardigan looking tired and dull? If so, why not add a pretty ribbon trim to the front edges and some decorative buttons? This technique could be applied to any style of cardigan. You could even embellish the neck and cuffs of a sweater in the same way, in which case you won’t need the snap fasteners.
You will need:
- A cardigan
- 80" (2m) firm ribbon, the width of the button band
- 15-20 assorted buttons
- Snap fasteners
- 1 spool matching all-purpose sewing thread
Step 1
Carefully remove the buttons using sharp scissors. Take care not to cut the fabric.
Step 2
Taking care not to stretch the cardigan, pin a single length of ribbon, wide enough to cover up the button band, from the hem of one front up, around the neck, and down to the other hem.
Step 3
Machine carefully along both sides of the ribbon to hold it in place.
Step 4
Evenly space assorted buttons, with a diameter no wider than the ribbon, the length of the ribbon, leaving it free of buttons where the two fronts will join. Stitch in place.
Step 5
Where the two fronts are to join, stitch one half of a snap fastener beneath each button and the other half in the corresponding position on the other side of the ribbon trim.
Step 6
This how-to is excerpted with permission from Dressmaking: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Making your Own Clothes
by Alison Smith (DK Publishing).
