I had already written an article about recovering knit fabric scraps and the many possibilities offered by making creations for children. 

I’m taking advantage of making 2 Kennet sweatshirts for my godchild to present to you:

- my way of proceeding for this kind of scrap management exercise 😊

- the Kennet pattern and the reasons that led me to choose it 

1. Collect medium and large scraps

When sewing sweatshirts and t-shirts, you often end up with "strips" of fabric or medium-sized "square" pieces. You can make a few panties and boxers with them, but with french terry or fleece sweatshirts, it's more complicated. 

Baby and children's clothes can be a useful way to manage your scrap stock. It's also a fun way to create "parent-child" outfits. Finally, I think it's a great way to practice upcycling and give a nod to fast fashion.

Children's pants, joggers, and sweatshirt patterns are really well suited to this approach. That's why I selected the Kennet sweatshirt from Maison Victor, published in issue 2 of 2020. 

Points to watch out for when using scraps

1. choose colors that can be combined. The easiest way is to stay within the same color range or to pair a plain fabric with a patterned fabric (with the plain color present in the pattern)

2. You can't really make a style mistake by choosing two types of fabrics: 1 plain and 1 patterned. But you can definitely combine several plain colors to create color blocks without any fashion faux pas. Combining several patterned fabrics is risky but entirely possible; it all depends on your ability to match the colors together. 

3. Make sure you have enough in your scrap to cut the desired pieces for the front and back

4. If you don’t have enough fabric of one color to fit everything into the pattern, it is possible to make "artificial" cuts. In this case, check that the cut will be harmonious with the wearer’s body shape and above all don’t forget to add the necessary seam allowances. 

2. Why choose the Kennet sweatshirt pattern?

Several reasons led me to choose this sweatshirt pattern:

- it has raglan sleeves, which allows elegantly contrasting the sleeves with the body (if desired) 

- it has a kangaroo pocket (which children really like) and which can be used to collect patterned fabric scraps (even small pieces) 

- it has an under-sleeve which also allows playing with contrasts if desired, and which I modified 😊 I explain this below. 

3. The creations and modifications of the pattern

Kennet is quite a simple sweatshirt to make, rated level 1 out of 4 by Maison Victor. It is available from size 92 to 176, so it will suit both the smallest and the largest. 

Modifications

1. I modified the raglan sleeve assembly to sew them right sides together and avoid a raw edge. 

2. I removed the under-sleeve to create a two-part sleeve. 

Creations

I made two sweatshirts: the first in warm tones and the other in cool tones, each time combining a plain fabric with a patterned fabric. 

I carefully measured if all my pieces would "fit" before starting to cut to be sure to create a harmonious sweatshirt. 

The sweatshirts were made with the help of the sewing machine to sew the kangaroo pocket and the shoulder clips. All the rest of the assembly was done with the overlocker. Finally, the hems were done with the coverstitch machine. 

And you, how do you reuse your sweatshirt and jersey scraps? Do you also sew children's clothes? Let me know in the comments 😊

And to your needles for upcycling!