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New Knit Cuff

Welcome to Sew! Let’s Get Dressed, a weekly blog that encourages you to sew successfully. 

Look at this fun Tabula Rasa Knit tunic made with one of our spring knit bundles.  This week we will have weather in the mid-Atlantic warm enough for Carrie to wear her new top.  It was much admired at each of our spring appearances and everyone wanted to know how to make the cuff.

The cuff was not designed until most of the top was complete.  This bundle contains 60” of the floral print and 30” of the solid coral, both rayon and spandex knit blends.  The neckline is one of our Clever Crossing Variations, the crossover front yoke.  I used the floral for all the top’s pieces and trimmed each section with the solid coral.

Creating the Clever Crossing

There were 3 colors of frosty plastic buttons at JoAnn’s to accent the neckline and bring out the colors in the top’s print.  They were used to decorate the crossing neckline and needed to be used on the cuff too, but how?  There was not much of the floral left, so flared or ruffled cuffs were not an option.  Time to consult Pinterest for an idea.

After reviewing all the photos on my Sewing with Knits Pinterest page I felt inspired by a grey sweatshirt with a split cuff lined in an interesting print.  Perhaps I could use the buttons to connect the split cuff to the sleeve.

Returning to the cutting table, I measured the circumference of the sleeve hem.  I was able to get 2 rectangles from my floral knit scraps that were the circumference plus 1 ¼” for seam allowances by 3¼” wide.  That gave me a 2” split cuff which seemed perfect.  After I cut the two printed cuffs, I cut two solid cuffs to match.  Each cuff was sewn, right sides together, leaving one long side open.  I trimmed the seams, clipped the extra fabric from the points, then turned and pressed the cuffs.  Finally I topstitched them to help them retain their shape.

Cut Cuff Pieces

I also cut a pair of 2” wide strips of the solid the same length as the cuff and seamed each into a circle and pressed them in half lengthwise.  I attached these to the sleeves, right sides together first.

The cuff was positioned so the two ends line up with the grainline.  That is, offset about 1/2” toward the front of the sleeve.  This allows the decoration to appear centered on the arm but the details actually face slightly to the front.

Stacked sections of sleeve cuff application.

Once the three sections were stitched in place, I serge finished the seam and pressed it toward the sleeve.  As with most knit finishes, the seam was then topstitched to the sleeve about 1/8” in from the seamline.

The last step was folding each corner of the cuffs back and securing them with a button.

The Cuff up close.

It turned out to be a wonderful way to use both fabrics and the buttons to their best advantage.

You can now buy this knit bundle online along with our other spring knit bundles.  (Our favorite fusible interfacings are also now available by the yard in our e-store!)

Knit display at the Atlanta Expo.

You too can make this exact top, or any other of our fun Tabula Rasa Knit designs for yourself.  Don’t forget to add a fun cuff, like this folded split cuff for a creative finish.

Are you sewing knits for the summer?  Will you make a new knit top or two for Me Made May?  Tell us about your creations and send us photos.  This top was an Instagram “project of the week” in March.  Let us post your project there sometime soon.

Still unsure about stitching up clothing for your wardrobe.  Take our “Get Ready to Sew Garments” class this Saturday at Danner’s Bernina Shop in Hanover PA.  There are still a few spots open and it will give you confidence to #sewsuccessfully with #fitforartpatterns.

Happy Sewing, RAE

Enjoy receiving our blog? Sharing is caring, so forward this post to a friend by clicking on the Forward link at the upper right corner of your e-mail notification.  Remember that the beauty of the Fit for Art System is you can sew successfully with endless variations. Take a moment to review our variation patterns offered by clicking here.  Also, are you following us on social media?  Take a moment to check us out on Facebook and Instagram and follow the hashtag #fitforartpatterns and #sewsuccessfully.

1 thought on “New Knit Cuff

  1. Cute top,Carrie. Love the cuff!

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