Arlignton Sweater turned Kurta

Winters are all about cozy sweaters and cowl necks. See how I turned the new Arlington Sweater pattern from Love Notions into an Indian kurta.

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The pattern

The Arlington Sweater is the newest pattern from Love Notions, all ready for fall and winter. Its a quick sew and it’s packed with features like:

• 3 different necklines, the cowl is my favorite (cowl neck, turtleneck, and mock turtleneck)
• Statement sleeves! I want to make them all! (long, bishop, elbow, puff short and puff long)
• Different lengths to choose from hip length, banded shirt length and above knee dress
• Shaped center back seam for dress length – so needed with swayback adjustments

The pattern is on sale for $9 (reg price $12) for it’s release week, starting today. Get the pattern here.

sizing

As with all new Love Notions patterns, it has the expanded sizing XS – 5X. Bust goes from 33″ to 57.5″; and hips are 35.5″ to 59.5″. And has an optional full bust piece so you don’t need to do your FBAs

My measurements put me in the middle of a M and L for the top and L and XL for the bottom. I could have gotten away with a medium top and large bottom, but I wanted a bit looser fit. So, I started out with a M high bust and graded to a L at the waist then graded to XL at the hips. I did take in about 3/4″ on just my right side after sewing it up.

For the sleeves, I went with the long sleeves in M and shorten them 1.5″. The sleeves are comfortable, but more fitted than I would like, so I will size up next time.

future modifications

1. Raise armsyce 1″. I should have done this, as this is a normal adjustment for me, but I got lazy.
2. Cut sleeves in M for armsyce but L for width.

the fabric

I broke my fabric buying ban for this cable knit from Olga’s Closet, in dark purple. This is a fabric I have been waiting for a looong time to buy and was so glad to find it. I even bought a few yards of lavender in the same cable knit. I might be making that one soon too!

the hack

I decided to make the dress view. Buuut with a hack. Go figure.

See, salwar kurtas are definitely one of my favorite types of clothes to wear. But most of mine are thin cottons, suited more for the warmer months, and I’ve always wanted something I could wear in the winter. And can I tell you..it.is.so.COZY!

Turning this dress into a kurta was very easy. Essentially add a split hem and change the finishing. That’s it!

1. Determine where you want the split to occur and mark on the pattern, as well as on the cut pieces. (I used an already made kurta to get the placement)
2. Mark 1″ above the point in step 1

3. Sew/serge the side seams from sleeves to the point you marked in step 2

4. Only sew the last inch to keep the seams open for the split.
5. From here you can follow the normal kurta split steps. Here’s a link to a video that shows how to do it.

Things to keep in mind:

• Some knits, especially sweater knits are heavy. To prevent stretch add twill tape as you serge/overlock shoulders and side seams (don’t add to sleeves, to allow the stretch)
• Kurtas have a straight hem with corners going up to the split. I added twill tape along all three sides to prevent wavy edges before turning over.

And for fun, I added some of my precious trim my sister brought back from India for me – to both the hem and the cowl. It adds just the perfect amount of bling.

I hope you get to pick up the new Arlington Sweater pattern from Love Notions and enjoy a cozy me-made winter like I will be! The pattern is on sale for $9 (reg price $12) for it’s release week, so don’t wait!