Replies

1. 
   kjp | May 26, 2005 09:43pm | #1

   I agree!!! What a wonderful idea for a Thread's article.

2. 
   booklovr | May 27, 2005 10:52pm | #2

   Hi,

   I've made three garments with knitted back, sleeves, and ribbings.  I always start with a knitting pattern.  I then use the measurements given for the knitted front as a pattern for the front of the jacket.  I suggest making a muslin first to be sure it will fit properly.  I line the front with the lining fabric I intend to use and then treat the lined front as one piece.  I sew the entire garment together on the sewing machine.  I then hand stitch the knitted seam allowances over the raw edges of the front pieces. 

   Hope this helps.  I love my jackets.  One has been photographed for "Belle Armoire" but has not been published as yet. 

1. 
   Jean | May 28, 2005 03:14am | #3

   Years ago I made vests that were leather fronts with knitted backs and were trimmed in knitted braid. I started with the vest pattern for the front and pretty much winged the rest. They were good looking.

2. 
   mem1 | May 30, 2005 02:16am | #4

   So do you use the bust measuremwnt lengthetc and draft up a pattern to suit or do you pin the knitted bits on a model and then drape on the fabric bits to match . Have you ever done a fitted tweed jacket with knitted sleeves?

1. 
   booklovr | May 30, 2005 04:26pm | #5

   I use the measurements from the knitted pattern and make a muslin.  I know pretty well what is going to fit me but I still make a muslin of the fronts to be sure.  I've never made a fitted tweed jacket with knitted sleeves but I don't think it would be difficult especially if you were just knitting the sleeves.  You could use the jacket sleeve pattern and knit to those dimensions.

   I usually piece the fronts of my jackets.  I design jackets using folded or manipulated fabric techniques and I use some of those techniques for the jackets. 

   Hope this gives you some ideas.

1. 
   mem1 | Jun 01, 2005 06:30am | #6

   so you would use the tenion ie the stitches per inch to work oiut the number of stitchesto add and subtract to create the top of the slleve etc??

   Could you post a photo of your work on this website ? I am sure alot of us would love to see them . It sound really interesting.

1. 
   booklovr | Jun 01, 2005 05:30pm | #7

   I'm not sure what you mean about the tension being used for the number of stitches for the top of the sleeve.  But what I do is knit the sleeves and the back.  Usually I knit ribbing for the bottom of the front.  Then I use the line drawing for the front of the sweater that is part of the knitting pattern to get the dimensions for the front of the jacket.  I draw the front out on paper and make a muslin to be sure it will fit the back and sleeves I've already knitted.

     Right now I'm knitting a sweater that has asymmetrical fronts.  I like the knitted fronts alot and I think it has potential as a knit/pieced front jacket.  So I've decided to pin the right and left fronts flat on paper and trace them off.  I'll add seam allowances and make a muslin if I ever decide to sew the fronts out of fabric. 

   Another thing to remember is that if the shoulder of the fronts isn't exactly the same size as the knitted back shoulder, the knitted piece is forgiving.  I haven't had that problem but you can fudge a little, not much, but a little, when you sew the fronts and backs together.

   I would be happy to post pictures on the site.  I have to have my husband do my "advanced" computer work because I'm only pre-school literate in computers.  It's actually a family joke.  So I'll get on him to do some more computer work for me.  Stay tuned, he works well but slowly!