Sweater Sew Along and Pattern Review

5 Materials
$17
2 Hours
Easy


Sweater season is upon us which is why I tried my hand at the Molly sweater from Trish Newberry. Sew along with me as I put this piece together step-by-step. This is a really great and easy tutorial that will leave you with a new sweater this winter. I also give a quick review of what I like and what I would change on this DIY sweater.

Tools and materials:

  • Pattern
  • Fabric
  • Sewing machine
  • Pins
  • Scissors
How to sew a sweater


This pattern comes with two different views. In the sew along I chose view A which has the hood. What I think is really awesome about this Trish Newberry pattern is that the size guide ranges from an XXS to a 4XL. 

Add the strips

The front pocket 

Once I had cut out all of the fabric pieces from the Trish Newberry Molly Sweater pattern, I started working on the front pocket. I took the strip and double folded it. I then matched its center notch with the notch on the pocket and pinned it in place. I repeated the same on the other side and then 

Press the seams


I serged the two strips in place and then pressed the fabric. I suggest topstitching as well just to make it sit a little nicer. 

DIY sweater


Next, I folded and pressed along the sides and top of the pocket so that I would be able to stitch the pocket onto the main body without any raw edges peeking out. 

Pin on the pocket


I laid down the main body pieces and pinned the pocket according to the markings on the pattern and the notches at the bottom. 

Stitch close to the edge


I used my edge foot to stitch close to the edge and I then added a second row of stitches. If you have a double-needle, that will work great. 

Make a sweater

The shoulder seams 

In this next step, I pinned and sewed the top front yoke pieces to the back panel along the shoulder seams. As you can see I have chosen a different fabric for the yoke which adds a little bit of interest to the sweater. 

How to make a sweater

The hood

For the hood, I took the two fabric places and matched the notches along the top. I then pinned around and sewed the side and top together. 

Match with the back seam


To attach the hood I matched the back seam with the center back. I also matched the hood’s notches with the side seams and pinned it on distributing the hood nicely so that it fit perfectly. I took it over to my serger and serged the edges. 

Fold the edges


Next, I folded the edges of the hood 3cm (1.18 inches) to create a casing. I wouldn’t be adding a drawstring but I just wanted the look for the sweater. Once again I sewed two lines of stitching for the casing. 

Overlap the front


I then overlapped the front and added some basting stitching. 

Attach to the yoke

The yoke attachment 

To sew the front piece to the yoke, I matched the center front notch to the center front of the yoke. I serged that in place nicely. This hoodie is really starting to come together! 

Sew on the sleeves

The sleeves and side seams

The sleeves are cut on a fold and it’s important to add the notches so we know where and how to attach the different pieces. For the sleeves, I match the center notch up with the shoulder seam and pin it all along the shoulder. With all the pins in, I serged it in place. I then sewed the side seam, going up the arm. I find this the quickest and easiest way to attach sleeves. 

Fold the band

The bottom band 

I took the band, folded it in half, and sewed. I then folded it in half, with wrong sides together 

Sew on the raw edges


I then attached the raw edge all the ways around to the bottom of the sweater. This will give you the perfect waistband. 

Hem the sleeves

Hemming the sleeves 

The sleeves don’t have cuffs, so I serged the edges, folded them over, and then stitched. 

Review of the sweater

A quick review

I really love the fit of the shoulders! What I find a little bit unflattering is the bottom of the sweater. Usually, if I’m wearing a longer sweater, I prefer for the bottom to be a little bit looser. That being said, I would still make view A exactly as it is in the pattern because I really like to tuck my sweater into my pants. Flipping the band of this sweater up creates a very cool, faux tuck look. If I were to make this sweater again, I would probably add cuffs to the sleeves. I may also consider adding buttons to create a little interest. 

Reinforce the pockets


I would also add in these triangles along the pockets to give a little reinforcement. 

Sewing a sweater


All in all, this is a really great sweater! I would love to hear your thoughts on view A! Would you add any other elements to this hoodie? Let me know in the comments below! 

Suggested materials:
  • Pattern   (https://trishnewbery.com/molly-sweater-with-hood-or-quarter-zip-sewing)
  • Fabric
  • Sewing machine
See all materials

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