Children’s Circle Cardie

Pattern Markings

Transfer all pattern markings. Mark the pattern using either tailors chalk or a disappearing fabric marker, or pins.

There is an underarm marking – transfer this to both armholes on the Body pieces. You will need this marking to line up the Sleeve or Armhole Band.

If you have cut your Body piece on the fold so that it is one piece of fabric, skip to step 2. If you need to cut your Body piece into two separate pieces, follow below.

Fold your fabric so it is right sides together.

Place your pattern piece on the fabric. Cut around the piece as normally. However, when you get to the center back seam where the foldline is, cut leaving a ⅜ inch seam allowance (see the extra line of fabric to the left of the pattern piece, this is where you want to cut leaving an additional ⅜ inch seam allowance).

Keeping your fabric right sides together, stitch or serge the center back seam using a ⅜ inch seam allowance.

NOTE – If you are using a regular sewing machine, make sure to use a stretch or lightning bolt stitch so it stretches with your fabric while you are wearing it. 

OPTIONAL – Finish the seam using either an overlock stitch on your sewing machine or with a serger.

Open the garment out and press the seam to the side.

You are going to be stitching the two pink lines together to form the shoulder seam. Stitch this on a regular sewing machine. Do not use a serger for this step. If you wish to finish the raw edges either with a serger or an overlock stitch, you will do this later after you do the collar in step 3.

Measure ⅜ inch from the neckline out onto the shoulder seam. Mark with a pin.

With right sides together, start to fold the shoulder seams together. First just pin the outside edge.

NOTE – You’ll find the shoulder seams are marked on the pattern pieces.

Using the pin, you placed in step 2.1, pin the other end of the shoulder seams together. The shoulder seam should now be pinned from the outside shoulder edge to ⅜ inch before the neckline.

Do not stretch or manipulate the fabric. Just keep it flat, with the raw edges matching along the shoulder line. The pin from step 2.1 will be ⅜ inch into the section that extends upwards (which will eventually be part of the neckline).

Stitch from the pin ⅜ inch in from the neckline to the shoulder edge using a ⅜ inch seam allowance. Use a regular sewing machine, not a serger. Do not finish the raw edges yet.

OPTIONAL: stitch clear elastic into the seam to stabilize the fabric.  Cut the elastic to the same length as the seam line.  Be sure to exercise the elastic before using it. 

Repeat steps 2.1 to 2.4 to stitch the other shoulder seam.

You will be stitching the collar center back seam together along the pink line, then opening the garment out flat and stitching the two green lines together to form the neckline.

Fold the Body piece right sides together. 

Find the two collar center back sections and stitch using a ⅜ inch seam allowance.

OPTIONAL – If you wish to, finish the center back collar seam only using a serger or an overlock stitch.

Open the garment out so that it is flat. Press your collar center back seam to one side.

Fold the collar right sides together with the rest of the Body piece. 

Align the raw edges of the neckline (the green lines on the diagram above).

You need to clip into the seam allowance of the collar section only. What you are trying to do is clip close to where your shoulder seam from step 2.4 starts so that in the next step, you can easily stitch across the neckline without the fabric pulling. 

Do not snip all the way into the corner where the stitching starts, but ⅔ of the way into the seam allowance. 

If you cut too far, it will leave a hole so err on the side of caution. If the fabric does not lay flat in the next step, you can always snip a little further in.

TIP – Use the very tip of your scissors for maximum control. 

With the collar piece on top, pin at either end where your shoulder stitching starts.

Matching the raw edges, pin in the center. If you stitched your Body piece in two sections, the center back collar seam should line up with the center back Body seam. If not, it will just be in the middle.

There will be a fold of fabric coming down from where each shoulder seam starts (where your first pins are). Fold them out towards the shoulders so they aren’t in the way.

Pin the remainder of the seam. Make sure to keep the raw edges lined up so that the neckline is the right shape once you’ve stitched it. 

Stitch the back neckline seam using a ⅜ inch seam allowance.

Start your stitching exactly where the shoulder seam ends, stitching to where the other shoulder seam starts.

To do this, place your needle down exactly over this stitching before lowering your presser foot. Then you can see you are starting in exactly the right place.

If you turn your garment over, you should now have a continuous seam from one shoulder edge all the way to the other. 

If there are any gaps between your neckline and shoulder seams, go back and stitch those now, being careful not to catch any folds of fabric in the stitching.

OPTIONAL – If you wish to finish the raw edges, serge or overlock stitch along the full shoulder and neckline seam now.

Press the shoulder and neckline seams up towards the collar, away from the garment. 

TIP – If you are doing one of the smaller sizes, you might find it easiest to do this over the edge of your ironing board so that you can curve the garment a bit. Place your iron on the main Body of the garment and move it up towards the collar. If you go from the collar down, it can be quite tricky with lots of folds of fabric in the way.

Your garment should now be one large circle with armholes.

If you are sewing the long or ¾ Sleeve option, skip to step 5. If you are sewing the sleeveless OPTION, you will need to finish the armhole with a band. Follow below. 

Join the Armhole Band pieces into a circle by placing the band right sides together lengthwise and stitch or serge the short ends of the piece using a ⅜ inch seam allowance.

TIP – If you are doing a larger size, fold the Armhole Band length ways and pin the fabric so that the right sides are together all the way along, that way you know the Armhole Band will not be twisted when the ends are stitched.

NOTE – The raw edges of the Armhole Band will be hidden inside so if you are using a sewing machine, there is no need to finish them.

Press the seam to one side.

Fold the Armhole Band with wrong sides together. It should now be a circle with the right sides facing outwards. Press.

Place one pin where the seam from step 4.1 is. Fold in half and place a pin at the other side of the circle so that it is divided in half.

You are now going to place the Armhole Band inside the armhole. You want the right sides together. 

Turn your cardie wrong side out. Place your Armhole Band with the raw edges pointing away from the cardie, and the fold pointing towards it.

The pin where your seam from step 4.1 should match with the underarm notch you marked in the preparation step. 

The pin on the opposite side of the armband circle should match with the shoulder seam.

Matching the raw edges, pin in place at the underarm notch and the shoulder seam. You should be pinning through both raw edges of the band and the main fabric.

Now pin around the rest of the armhole. 

The armband is slightly smaller than the armhole so you will need to hold it taut to pin it. Start by pinning in between the two pins you have, then dividing the gap in half and pinning again until you’ve got enough pins, you are happy that the raw edges are aligned all the way around the armhole.

Stitch using a ⅜ inch seam allowance. Make sure to hold the fabric taut so it aligns, but do not stretch it. The Armhole Band is only 5% smaller than the armhole so it should not require any pulling.

TIP – If you are serging, I would still recommend stitching this on your sewing machine first, then just serging to finish the raw edges in the next step. As the armband is slightly smaller than the armhole opening, it can be easy to accidentally serge a pucker in the seam. Stitching using a sewing machine for this bit gives you more control, then you can finish it after. 

OPTIONAL – Serge or overlock stitch the raw edges to finish.

Turn the garment right side out and press the Armhole Band outwards, with the seam allowance facing into the garment.

OPTIONAL – Topstitch the seam allowance in place on the Body using a zigzag, lightning bolt, coverstitch, or twin needle.

Repeat steps 4.1 to 4.8 for the other armhole and Armhole Band.

Skip to step 6. 

If you have sewn the sleeveless OPTION, skip to step 6 for the hemmed OPTION, or step 7 for the Band OPTION or to step 8 for the Ruffle Hem OPTION. Follow below for ¾ or long Sleeves. The steps are the same for either length.

If you are sewing a child size 2 years and above, skip to step 5.2.

If you are sewing a 0-24 month size, optionally serge or overlock the bottom raw edge of the sleeve to finish. Then, hem by turning it the bottom edge under by ⅜ inch. Press and pin. Stitch close to the folded edge. 

Pin the long raw edges on each Sleeve right sides together.

Serge or stitch using a ⅜ inch seam allowance.

Pick an armhole of the cardigan and a Sleeve to stitch together. 

Turn the cardie wrong side out.

Turn your Sleeve right side out.

Place a pin in the top center of the Sleeve. Make sure your notch from the underarm that you marked in the preparation step is still there.

Place your Sleeve inside the cardie. 

Align the top Sleeve pin with the shoulder seam and pin. 

Align the Sleeve side seam with the underarm notch and pin.

Continue to pin the rest of the way around the armhole.

Start by pinning the bottom of the armhole. Then as you get up around the top of the armhole, you will need to ease the Sleeve into the armhole. This is where you hold the fabric taut (but not stretching it). 

Try to align the fabric along the seam line (⅜ inch in from the edge). Keep the raw edges approximately aligned but don’t worry if there is some waviness along the raw edge. This is normal with easing. What you are trying to do is keep the fabric of the armhole and the Sleeve flat where the stitching will be (⅜ inch from the edge), not at the raw edges.

Stitch using your sewing machine using a ⅜ inch seam allowance. 

NOTE – If you are serging, do not serge here. Use your sewing machine instead to make sure you don’t get any folds or puckers along the seam line, then finish with serging in the next step.

OPTIONAL – Serge or overlock stitch the raw edges.

Turn the garment right side out. Press the shoulder seam away from the Sleeves, towards the garment.

FIT CHECK – Try the cardie on and check the Sleeve length. Make sure to allow for a ⅜ inch hem, then make any adjustments if you want to shorten it.

OPTIONAL – Finish the Sleeve hem using a serger or overlock stitch.

Press the Sleeve hem up by ⅜ inch. 

Top stitch in place using a zigzag, lightning bolt, coverstitch or twin needle.

TIP – In the second photo you can see both the front and back of my hem. I serged the raw edge, and then used a twin needle. When I aligned my twin needle to top stitch, I did this from the right side of the fabric but made sure to have one needle right on the outside edge of the serging. That way it holds the serging in place, stops the hem rolling towards the right side of the garment after wearing and washing it, and looks more like a professional coverstitch type stitch.

Repeat steps 5.1 to 5.9 for the other Sleeve and armhole.

A simple hemline where you just turn the raw edge under and topstitch (or you could use a roll hem). This is the shortest of the three finishes.

If you are sewing the Band OPTION, skip to step 7, or skip to step 8 for the Ruffle Hem OPTION. Follow below for the hem option.

You will now finish the entire circle of the hem (from collar, all the way down, around and back up again) by turning under and stitching the hem in the same way you did with the Sleeve hem in steps 5.8 and 5.9. You could also use a roll hem, or any other hemming finishing method you prefer.

OPTIONAL – Finish the cardie hem using a serger or overlock stitch.

Fold under ⅜ inch and press. Top stitch in place using a zigzag, lightning bolt, coverstitch or twin needle.

TIP – Here you can see both the front and back of my hem. I have serged the raw edge, and then used a twin needle. When I aligned my twin needle to top stitch, I did this from the right side of the fabric but made sure to have one needle right on the outside edge of the serging. That way it holds the serging in place, stops the hem rolling towards the right side of the garment after wearing and washing it, and looks more like a professional coverstitch type stitch.

All finished! Enjoy your Circle Cardie.

This is a plain band around the hem. It adds a little length but not as much as the ruffle. It goes all the way around the full circle of the hemline. The hemband is slightly shorter than the hem so it will curve under slightly.

If you are sewing the Ruffle Hem OPTION, skip to step 8. Otherwise, follow below.

Depending on the size you are making and the width of your fabric, you may have several Band Hem pieces here, or you may just have one.

What you want to do is stitch however many you have, right sides together into one large circle. 

If you just have one, fold it right sides together and stitch the short edge using a ⅜ inch seam allowance.

If you have more than one, place each of the short ends right sides together and stitch using a ⅜ inch seam allowance, so it forms one large circle.

NOTE – As the raw edges will end up inside the Band Hem, there is no need to finish them. If you are using a regular sewing machine, just stitch and then leave them raw.

Press each of your seam allowances to one side.

Fold your Band Hem wrong sides together lengthwise. So, it will still be one large circle, but shorter.

Mark the quarter points on your band with pins.

If you have two or four Band Hem pieces, you can use the seams as reference points. If not, you will need to fold it in half and in half again to find the quarter points. Mark with pins then unfold so it forms a circle again.

Fold your cardigan in half vertically and mark the halfway points with pins. The center back collar seam will be one. The other will be at the center back hemline.

Then unfold and fold again horizontally to mark the quarter points with pins.

There should now be four pins around your hemline, dividing it into quarters.

Unfold again so the cardie is flat and right side up.

Place your Band Hem onto the cardie. Match up the quarter point pins. 

The folded edge of the band should be pointing into the cardie. The raw edges of the band should be aligned with the raw edge of the cardie.

You should be pinning through the two raw edges of the band and the main fabric.

TIP – If you’ve done sleeves rather than the armbands, fold these into the middle and keep them out of the way of your stitching.

Continue to pin the rest of the band to the cardie. The band will be slightly shorter than the cardie (by approximately 5%) so you will need to pin in sections and hold the band taut to pin it on.

Stitch or serge using a ⅜ inch seam allowance.

TIP – To ensure the band is eased evenly onto the cardie, pin by dividing each quarter in half. Then in half again, then again until you’ve got enough pins in place to be comfortable stitching.

Press the band outwards and the seam allowance to the inside of the garment. The band will curve slightly inwards.

OPTIONAL – Topstitch the seam allowance in place on the Body using a zigzag, lightning bolt, coverstitch, or twin needle.

Doing this will stop the band from folding outwards while wearing it. While optional, I would recommend it for the best finish. Try to make sure you stitch your top stitching right on the edge of the seam allowance or serged edge to stop the band rolling over while wearing it.

All finished! Enjoy your Circle Cardie.

This is a gathered ruffle all the way around the hemline. The gathering will show around the neckline, draping down the front and around the hem. The gathering is approximately 1.25x the length of the hem so it is noticeable but not full.

Depending on the size you are making and the width of your fabric, you may have several ruffle pieces here, or you may just have one.

What you want to do is stitch, however, many you have, right sides together into one large circle. 

If you just have one, fold it right sides together and stitch the short edge using a ⅜ inch seam allowance.

If you have more than one, place each of the short ends right sides together and stitch using a ⅜ inch seam allowance, so it forms one large circle.

OPTIONAL – Serge or overlock stitch the raw edge for these side seams.

Press each of your seam allowances to one side.

Fold your ruffle in half and then in half again. Mark each quarter with a pin. Unfold.

NOTE – If you are confident in the length of your ruffle and cardigan, it is easiest to hem it here. If you want to do this, skip ahead to step 8.11 to hem, then come back and continue on from here to attach the ruffle. This way you can hem with the ruffle only, so that it’s straight and not bulky to manipulate while sewing. Alternatively follow the order normally so that you can fit check the length before hemming.

You are now going to stitch two rows of gathering stitches around the band. 

Set your sewing machine to a gathering stitch. This will be the longest stitch length possible with no backstitch (also called a locking stitch) at the beginning or end and will have loose tension. Depending on your machine you may also need to loosen your bobbin tension.

Stitch your first row of gathering stitches close to the edge of the fabric (approximately ⅛ inch). Stitch your second row of gathering stitches approximately ⅝ inch from the edge.

When you do your rows of gathering stitches, I like to start at one quarter point (as marked by pins in the previous step) and sew to the first quarter point. Cut your thread, leaving a long tail of thread hanging off (like in the first photo). Start stitching again just after the quarter point, and stitch around to the next quarter point, and so on. 

You should now have two rows of gathering stitches all the way around your ruffle, each of which run from quarter point to quarter point.

TIP – Stitch in the same direction for both rows of stitches (e.g. clockwise or counterclockwise). It doesn’t matter which direction so long as both lines of stitches go the same way. It’ll make gathering a lot easier.

TIP – Use a different colored top thread to your bobbin thread. That way you can differentiate them more easily later when you come to gather it. Plus, it’s a great way to use up all those leftover bobbin threads I find I have!

Turn your cardie right side out and place it right side up. Place your ruffle right side down onto it.

With the edge with the gathering stitches up against the cardigan’s raw edge, match one quarter point with the center back collar seam. I like to use quarter point that is on a seam line for this so that any other ruffle seam lines are symmetrical on the finished garment. but it’s not necessary.

Keeping the ruffle flat to ensure it’s not twisted, match the center bottom quarter point of the cardie with the opposite quarter point on the ruffle and pin. It should now be pinned at the top and bottom, with the ruffle even on both sides.

TIP – If you’ve done sleeves rather than the armbands, fold these into the middle and keep them out of the way of your gathering and stitching.

Match the quarter points at either side and pin.

You are now going to gather the ruffle to the cardigan. The best way I find to do this is in quarters.

Starting at a quarter point, find a pair of bobbin threads and very gently pull on both equally to gather the ruffle. Gather the ruffle all the way across the quarter you are working on until the quarter in that section fits the waistband.

Spread the gathering out gently with your fingers so it looks evenly gathered and pin in place.

Then move on to the next quarter and so on until the whole ruffle has been gathered and now fits the cardie.

Stitch using a ⅜ inch seam allowance. This should be directly in between your two lines of gathering stitches.

Remove the gathering stitches by gently pulling the ends of gathering thread so that they come all the way through the ruffle. Find the thread from the underside of the ruffle and pull this out too. 

TIP – You may find the thread snaps if you pull it too hard or your fabric is quite thick. If this happens, just pull the other end and the rest of the thread should come out there.

Press the ruffle outwards and seam allowance inwards being careful to maintain the gathers.

OPTIONAL – Finish the cardie hem using a serger or overlock stitch.

Fold under ⅜ inch and press. Top stitch in place using a zigzag, lightning bolt, coverstitch or twin needle. Alternatively, you could use a roll hem or any other hemming finish you prefer.

TIP – Here you can see both the front and back of my hem. I have serged the raw edge, and then used a twin needle. When I aligned my twin needle to top stitch, I did this from the right side of the fabric but made sure to have one needle right on the outside edge of the serging. That way it holds the serging in place, stops the hem rolling towards the right side of the garment after wearing and washing it, and looks more like a professional coverstitch type stitch.