How to Make a V-Neck Cardigan

Today we’re here to show you how to make a v-neck cardigan. This DIY Cardigan is made using the V-Neck Cardigan Pattern from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop. The V-neck cardigan is the perfect layer for changing seasons. It’s made from knit fabric, is simple to sew, and comfy to wear. 

If you haven’t bought your copy yet then go ahead and grab it and let’s get started 🙂

How to Make a V-Neck Cardigan | DIY Cardigan

First we’re going to gather all of our materials and get everything cut out. Tomorrow we’ll start sewing and I have a fun tutorial for doing a pull-over cardigan instead of button-up. In case you can’t tell someone is quite pleased with it 🙂

Part 1: Choosing Your Fabrics

The recommended fabrics for this pattern are jersey or interlock with rib or interlock for the cuffs and bands. However, there is always a bit of leeway if you want to try something else 🙂  If you want to try out a bit heavier knit (such as my sweater shown above) it will work just fine as long as you still have a decent amount of stretch. If you are using a fabric with very little stretch such as a sweatshirt I recommend going up 1 size. You can also use other fabrics for the trim although jersey does tend to curl which makes it a bit harder to work with. Still doable but it will require a bit more pressing.

For my cardigan, I went with a Ponte and it sewed up perfectly. It’s very similar to interlock but just a touch thicker!

For my cardigan, I decided to go with snaps instead of buttons. I used KAM snaps (LOVE) but you can also get the Babyville brand at Joanns which are very similar. If you are new to knits or have a little one who likes to yank on buttons I definitely recommend going with snaps.

Now pre-wash your fabric! Trust me you don’t want to skip this step as knit shrinks like crazy

Part 2: Printing Your Cardigan Pattern & Cutting

As with all my patterns make sure you print out at 100% and check the 1″ scale box to ensure it printed correctly. I generally print in B&W to save on ink and on this pattern it’s still quite easy to tell all of your lines apart. The front and back are cut from the same pattern piece. If you’re planning to re-use your pattern or cut it down to a smaller size then I recommend folding back the pattern piece instead of trimming it when you cut out the front.

This will keep your pattern intact for future use. I went over the front cutting line in a sharpie to help you see what I mean. You’ll also notice a chart that prints out on the pattern piece. This has the measurements for your neck binding, sleeve cuffs, and bottom band. The stretch should go across the width dimension (e.g. for a size 3 mos. neck binding the stretchiest direction will go across the 24.5″ not the 2.5″).

If you have a sweater you are wanting to upcycle I have a few tips to share. Since most sweaters already have nice cuffs and a bottom band you’ll want to go ahead and make use of them.

Since our pattern has a separate cuff just place the bottom edge of the pattern piece at the start of the “cuff portion” on the sweater. The sweater I used was super stretchy and my sleeves ended up a bit long so we just fold the cuff up once. You’ll do the same thing with the bottom band. If you want to try a pull-over version of the cardigan you will cut your front piece on the fold and cut a much higher v-neck.

Part 3 | Sewing Your Cardigan

In step 1 you’re going to do the shoulder seams. In step 2 we put in the sleeves. Knits have a tendency to slide around a bit so make sure you pin the center of the sleeve to the shoulder seam and the ends to the end of the arm opening and then pin the rest in place.

Next are the sleeve inseams and side seams. If you are using stripes you’ll want to pin carefully to make sure you have everything lined up. Assuming you cut your pieces out so that’s possible 🙂

So far so good?

Part 4 | Finishing the V-Neck Cardigan

Now let’s finish up those cardigans 🙂 For the sleeve cuff, I’ve found it’s easiest to have the cardigan right side out and slide the cuff over the sleeve. You will need to stretch the cuff a bit to fit. I like to sew this step with my presser foot inside the sleeve. This is the 3 mos. the size that I sized down a bit more for a newborn and I’m using my serger so I promise it is possible to even on those itty bitty sleeves 🙂

In step 6 you’ll add your bottom band. Step 7 has a very important step that is often missed. With the neck binding folded in half with RST, you need to sew across the short edges (the bottom of the binding). See where I’ve circled in red? Make sure you do this or you’ll wind up with raw edges in the next step. This is also when you add interfacing for your buttons/snaps.

Get that binding sewn on and add your buttons/snaps and you’re done! If you’re doing buttons and your machine is struggling with the buttonholes you might find it helpful to use some tear-away stabilizer or tissue paper between your presser foot and the fabric.

Part 5 | V-Neck Sweater UpCycle

While I’m sharing V-Neck sweaters with you I thought I’d share one other one that I made without this pattern.

Your front piece should be cut out on the fold with a v-neck. I made my “v” quite a bit higher than the original pattern but a deep v would work too. First I went ahead and sewed up the front and back and added my sleeves. Since I kept my sleeves to their original width I did set-in sleeves and added them after my side seams were sewn up instead of before.   

It’s a bit hard to see but next, you want to sew some staystitching right along the bottom 1″ of the point of the “v” about 1/4″ in from the edge. Then snip right down the center stopping just short of your stitching line.

For my sweater I used the original neck binding. The chunkier side is what I used as the raw edge. First you sew one short edge of the binding to the neckline. The raw edge (or edges if your binding is folded in half like the original pattern) should be right at the point of the “v.”

Then you’ll pivot the binding around the “v” and sew the long edge to the neckline stretching it just a bit as you go. I used a narrow zig-zag stitch to prevent the sweater from unraveling and all my seam to still have some stretch.

 When you’re just about all the way around you can trim off any excess binding. Then bring the other short end over and sew in place. 

Now flip the binding up and admire your work 🙂 I went ahead and topstitched it down with a narrow zig-zag stitch to further re-inforce that seam.. 

Thank you for joining us today. Before you leave, take a look through some of our other tutorials: