Crew Neck Brynn Cardigan

OUR PATTERNS, PATTERN HACKS, SEWING

December 10, 2024

I have been seeing a long of crew neck styles in ready-to-wear lately, so I thought it would be fun to try a crew neck hack for the Brynn Cardigan pattern. I will be sewing up the sleeved, hip length view, but because the neckline is the same for all views, this hack will work the same no matter what view you are sewing up.

Materials :

You are going to need all of your pattern pieces. Also, gather some extra paper, scissors, tape, a ruler and a marking tool.

Back

Lets start by making adjustments to the main Back pattern piece. The crew neck works better with a slightly tighter neckline at the shoulders than the original pattern. So we are going to tape a piece of paper to the back neckline and add about 1/2" at the inner shoulder seam. Draw a new curve from the new shoulder seam down to the original center back neckline. Trim.

Front

For the front, tape a of piece of paper along the center front line that extends up to the height of the shoulder.

We are going to extend the shoulder by 1/2" just like we did for the back.

Now to draw your front neckline. This is a bit subjective and might take some trial and error. I find it helpful to use a crew neck tshirt that I already own to give me an idea of how deep I want the neckline. I ended up marking mine about 6 inches up from the center front notch.

Then I drew the curve of the front neckline and trimmed the extra paper.

Neckband

Next we need to mark our seam allowances and measure our stitching lines so we can calculate our Neckband.

Remember that the seam allowance is 3/8" on the neckline and the shoulder seam. Do not mark the center front neckline as the neckband will be attached prior to the buttonband seam.

My front stitchline along the neckline measured 5.25 inches and my back measured 5 inches.

Now for some math. Add the font and back measurements together and multiply by 2. This is your neckline measurement. We want the neckband to be slightly smaller that the neckline it is being sewn to so it lays flat. I usually make mine 75% of the neckline. Your fabric might like to be stretched a bit more or a bit less than this.

Here is my math for reference :

5.25 + 5 = 10.25"

10.25 x 2 = 20.5"

20.5 x .75 = 15.375"

So my neckband piece will be 15.375" by 2".

Buttonband

Now to calculate and make your new buttonband. To keep it easy, start with the Buttonband pattern piece provided. Line it up with your front piece along the center front, lining up notches.

Draw the new top of the buttonband 1" above the neckline stitching line. This accounts for the seam allowance as well as the Neckband which will be sewn on first.

Trim at the new line.

Cutting Fabric

Next cut your fabric from your pattern pieces. You will cut one neckband with the greatest about of stretch being along the width of the pattern piece.

For the buttonband, it does not need to stretch so you can cut it in either direction on the fabric. You need to cut 2 (one pair) of the buttonbands as well as 2 of the fusible interfacing.

Sewing the Neckband

Sew the cardigan up according to the normal directions until it's time to add the bands. The sleeves should be attached and the hems done.

Take your neckband and fold it in half lengthwise, wrong sides touching.

Divide the neckline and neckband into equal quarters and mark with pins.

With right sides touching, pin the neckband to the neckline, matching pins and stretching the neckband slightly to fit.

Stitch at a normal 3/8" seam allowance.

Press the neckband away from the cardigan and the seam allowances.

Sewing the Buttonband

Start by fusing the fusible to the wrong side of the buttonbands.

Press in one long edge of each buttonband by 3/8".

Pin the unpressed edge off each buttonband to the cardigan center front edge, right sides touching, matching notches. Note that the buttonband should extend past the hem and the neckband by 3/8". Stitch.

If your fabric is thick I recommend grading down the seam allowances to reduce bulk.

Press the buttonband away from the cardigan and over the seam allowances.

Fold back the buttonband, right sides touching, so that the folded edge slightly covers the seam where the cardigan meets the buttonband. Pin at the top and bottom edges.

Stitch at 3/8" - or so the stitching lines up with the top off the neckband and the bottom of the hem.

Trim seam allowances.

Turn button band right side out, being sure to get good corners on the button band.

Press .

Pin the folded edge of the buttonband on the inside so that it just covers the seamline where the cardigan meets the buttonband. A glue stick also is very helpful here.

Stitch in the ditch on the right side of the fabric in the seam where the cardigan meets the buttonband. It should be nearly invisible and catch the folded edge of the buttonband underneath while sewing. You could also hand sew this if you prefer.

Buttons

Ok, almost there. The last thing to do is sew on the buttons and buttonholes. You will need to mark these yourself as the original buttonhole placement guide will no longer work. I recommend spacing them around 2 -2.5" apart.

And that is it. If you still need to get the original Brynn pattern you can do so here.