DIY Kimono Cardigan

Few clothing pieces are as versatile as a kimono cardigan. When it's hot and humid outside, this kimono offers a bit of airflow, and when it starts getting cool, it allows you to cover up without getting hot. This kimono cardigan is a great place to start if you're new to sewing, especially sewing garments. If you find the right fabric, you can even skip out on hemming it.

What You’ll Need to Get Started

• Sewing machine
• 2 yards (45” wide not 60” wide) of a lightweight fabric such as rayon or voile.
• Chalk or fabric marker
• Ruler
• Old tee-shirt (Ideally a men’s tee-shirt that fits your body)

Step One: Make Your Pattern 

You don't need to bust out your paper or try to tape a bunch of pieces of printer paper together. Lay your fabric out and take that old t-shirt, and fold that T-shirt and half.  Place the folded t-shirt directly over the wrong side of your fabric that you'll use for the kimono. The top of the shirt should be about one-inch from the top of the fabric or the selvage’s end.

With your chalk or fabric marker, you'll want to create a square to cut out from the remainder of the fabric. Measure approximately 3-inches down from the bottom of the T-shirt sleeve. Make a mark. Measure 5 inches out away from the edge of the T-shirt. Make a mark. Draw lines moving away from those marks so that you're left with an oversized version of the T-shirt you laid out.

Step Two: Cut the Fabric

Cut the fabric out from the lines that you marked based on the T-shirt pattern and unfold it. The material you chose should now look like an oversized men's t-shirt.

Be sure that you're only cutting one layer of fabric at a time. You'll want to end up with two front pieces and one large back piece.

Step Three: Finishing the Project

Then with the right type of fabric facing each other are going to start with one of the sides. Sew all the way around the material in three stretches. First, sew or serve with one front piece joining to the back piece. Second, do the same thing for the other front piece. Third, complete a stitch all the way around with a 1/4-inch allowance to create a hem across the bottom, up the top of the open edges in the front, across the neckline, and down the other side of the open edge in the front.

And that’s it! Your kimono cardigan is complete. If you enjoyed this tutorial, check out our other tutorials on our website. If you are missing some items in your sewing collection, feel free to contact our customer service team, and they can help you find all that you may need.