Hand-sewing a kimono cardigan

I wanted a relatively simple project to try out for hand sewing, and promised the kiddo I’d deliver a kimono cardigan in time for her graduation. I used old fabric I originally bought in Lahore because she loved the colour (and it’s what I happened to have easily available).

I used a basic pattern for a kimono cardi, where you simply cut out the sides and the neckline. This kimono pattern is so simple, it’s perfect for beginners.

How to cut the kimono cardigan.

Take your fabric and fold it in half and pin it in place (this is now the front and back of your kimono cardigan), then fold that in half again, pin more and cut out the sleeve and side seams in one go, leaving enough of a seam allowance. Note that you’re cutting through 4 layers of fabric, this way the seams on both sides will be identical. (The pink striped area is the fabric you’re cutting away.)

Once you’ve cut your side and sleeve seams, open the fabric back up (it should now be in a T-shape) and cut up the front centre. This will be the neckline and front opening.

Next, you’ll sew the side and sleeve seams (as below). You can do a simple folded seam or, as I did, add bias tape in a complimentary colour.

How to do a faux felled seam.

For the side seams, I chose to do a faux felled seam, because I wanted the seam in the sides and sleeves to sit flat. I considered a Hong Kong finish, but I was running out of time and had to get it done by graduation, and I felt more secure with doing a faux felled seam.

Even a faux felled seam leaves a super nice finish that is wonderful to wear, so if you don’t need strength in the seam but like the look of it, I highly recommend giving it a go.

A felled seam is a seam where the two sides of fabric being sewn together are folded over one another and then top stitched on one or both sides of the seam. it’s an incredibly strong seam and typically used in things like jeans and men’s shirts.

I merely wanted a seam that would sit flat, as this is a loose garment where the seams will be under very minimal stress during wear. This video explains wonderfully how different felled seams are constructed.

Then I added bias binding to the kimono cardigan.

This is totally optional, you can just finish the seams with a simple folded edge, but I wanted it to be a little extra. I also made the bias binding myself, this is also totally optional, but I had the same fabric in a different colour laying around.

When making your own bias binding, you’ll first want to cut out long fabric strips. They need to be 4 times wider than the finished bias tape will be. In this case, I just eyeballed it, didn’t measure, because this isn’t a precise kind of project.

Next, I had to join strips together as I didn’t have a fabric long enough to cover the front and neck opening.

1. Take two strips and place them right sides together at a perpendicular angle to each other. Draw a diagonal line from the edge of one strip to the corner of that same strip.
2. Sew along this line.
3. Cut off the excess fabric (the little corner triangle).
4. Press the seam flat on the wrong side of the fabric.

Next, you’ll want to iron in the shape of the bias binding.

1. Place the fabric on your ironing board right side down and fold both edges to the centre. Iron flat.
2. Fold in half again, iron flat. Your bias tape is finished and ready to use!

All that’s left now is to sew on your bias tape. I encased both the neckline and the sleeves in bias binding.

I was going to just hem the bottom and not do anything fancy, but when I was ironing it, I burned it a little. While it wasn’t the end of the world and I may have been able to leave it, it was enough of an eyesore that I went digging in the cupboards. What I found was a small decorative band that ended up being just enough to hide that awful blemish. It’s not perfect, but I was on a time crunch so it’s good enough!

Hand sewing this whole project was so much fun. I realised while I was sewing it that I’ve sort of unconsciously given up on sewing because the sewing machine is so overwhelming. I used to be afraid of sewing machines, so teaching myself to sew on the machine was a big deal. But now I know how to sew on the machine, and the noise is just too much.

And this smaller project was about me being able to prove to myself I can sew large projects by hand and still have relatively neat stitches, which I did! The recipient of the kimono absolutely loved it and loved spinning round in it. The kimono cardi billows beautifully when she walks and makes me want to have one myself!

I did struggle a bit in the armpits and back of the neck with the seams where I had to gather up a lot of fabric. That’s something I might do differently if I were to do this again, but it worked out with this one just fine. In the neck it even made a cool little gathered effect, so we can call that done on purpose.