The last few weeks I've been busy making Rebel Raglan sweaters for all the boys and men in the family. I planned some great sweaters, went fabric shopping and came home with some nice french terry with lycra, and in just the perfect weight. I started cutting and realized that I was cutting out the wrong size (I cut a size L, but DH needs an XL) and I was short on fabric. At this point, I had cut out the body and didn't have enough material for the sleeves. I ended up planning to stop by the shop and get some more fabric, but somehow I never got around to it.
Last night I asked my support group what kind of blog posts from my hand they would be interested in reading, and one of many topics were pattern hacks. As I'm a person with short reaction time from thought to action, I reached for the Rebel Raglan front and back pieces and decided to hack them into a Rebellious Rebel Raglan women's sweatshirt. In my stash, I found a nice Modal Tencel pique for the sleeves. I also found a small remnant of a 2x2 rib for neckline and cuffs.
Before cutting the sleeves, I measured the sleeve length against my arm length and cut the sleeve shorter by 4" / 10 cm. Check your sleeve length before cutting; I have short arms.
I always have been fearless when it comes to changing garments, and thus this time I used the tried and true method of eyeballing.
Here is how the neckline looked on me:
I wanted a more scooped neckline and also a wider neckline. I marked the shirt with pins where I wanted the neckline to join with the neckband.
I folded the neckline in ½ with a fold center front (CF) and centered back (CB). I then cut the new neckline starting CF, about 1.25" / 3 cm below the neckline, and cutting a "pleasing" curve past the shoulder about 1.5" / 4 cm from the shoulder, and back to 0 at CB.
Here is what it looks like after cutting. Much better :-)
Then I added the neckband. Rule of thumb is that the band should be from 10-15% shorter than the neckline. The neckline measured 30" / 75 cm and so I cut the neckband 26" / 65 cm long. As the Rebel Raglan is a men's pattern, the neckband width is 1.25" / 3 cm. As I wanted a more feminine look, I decided to reduce the width to 0.75" / 2cm. The neckband dimensions including seam allowance came to 26" x 2.2" / 65 cm x 5.5 cm.
When attaching the neckband, I always make sure to distribute the difference along the neckline with pins, before sewing it.
Time to sew the cuff to the sleeve end. Here I used the cuff from size S. It fits nice and snug around the wrist area.
I tried on the sweater again and decided I didn't want a rib hemband but would prefer a curved hemline instead.
I measured 3" / 7,5cm up from the hem at the side seam and cut a "pleasing" curve to the front. I hemmed the sweater, and here is the result:
And here is the result. I went to the theater with my family wearing this outfit. I love the red shoes, but I ended up regretting my vanity. I must have had freezing feet the day I bought them.
I will be making more of these but will choose a size M for my body frame next time. I have a 36" / 92 cm chest, and usually, fit a size 8 / 38 in Wardrobe By Me patterns and RTW.
Read more about the Rebel Sweater for Men here
