Hey everyone, It’s Holly! You may know that I absolutely love the Jarrah tee and sweater pattern. I have made sooooo many versions. But my most made version is actually a really simple hack – a short sleeve tee! Jarrah makes the most perfect slouchy, boxy, drop shoulder tee. And I am obsessed with it. So today I’m going to show you how to make one yourself – two different ways! One with turned under edges, and one with banded edges. So let’s get started, yes?
How to make a Jarrah (and mini Jarrah!) sweatshirt dress with bishop sleeves
Hi everyone, Holly here again! I’m here today with a fun Jarrah hack for you. And actually, it’s a two in one! I’ll be showing you how to lengthen the pattern to dress length (secret pajamas, anyone?), as well as alter the sleeves to voluminous bishop sleeves. Two very simple hacks that create such a different look for Jarrah! And bonus – its really cute on Mini Jarrah as well.
For the bishop sleeves, you will need to use the sleeve view with the cuffs.
For the dress length, I suppose it would work with any of the views, really. Straight hem, banded hem, even the tie hem, could all be cute as the bottom edge of a sweatshirt dress. But I personally think the curved hem works best! So that’s what I’ll be showing you today.
One more note – for this tutorial, I’m going to use Mini Jarrah for the step-by-step photos. Only because its easier to work with and photograph in the smaller scale. But just know that it is the exact same process for both the adult and mini versions. I will note anytime there is a difference in the two (just in measurements).
Ok lets just get started!
Mini Jarrah tester roundup
At last it’s time for us to show off the Mini Jarrah tester makes with you!! We’re constantly amazed and filled with joy seeing our testers sew up mini patterns for their children. There’s still time for all our northern friends to sew up a cosy layer for the last hurrah of winter, and for us here in Australia, what a perfect time to get ready for when it cools down a bit! We hope you enjoy all of our mini makes made by our ever so talented testers!
Introducing the Mini Jarrah sweater!
I’m so excited to share with you our next Mini pattern: the Mini Jarrah sweater!
Mini Jarrah is a loose fit drop shoulder sweater with two necklines, sleeve cuffs, and four hem styles. This pattern was careful drafted to mirror the adult Jarrah pattern, but with a few kid specific updates to make it perfect for active little people.
This is a fantastic beginner pattern that will help you learn new techniques or if you’re an experienced sewer, is a super quick and satisfying make. You can sew it with an overlocker/serger or a zig zag stitch on a regular sewing machine. It uses very little little fabric and is my favourite way to use up small amounts of sweater jersey. If you need some extra help sewing, all of the Jarrah pattern tutorials will apply to this pattern as well.
Lets run through what’s included in the pattern!
View A is a sweater with hem band.
If you hate hemming jersey and want a quick clean finish, then this is the view for you!! This view of the pattern can be sewn entirely with an overlocker/serger and is a great option for both boys and girls. I love making this view with ribbing a the neckline, collar and hem band, but you can just as easily use self fabric or contrast fabric. As with all of the views of this pattern you can swap out the crew neckline for a funnel neck if preferred. For this sample we used See You At Six french terry and matching ribbing.
View B is a sweater with curved hemline.
As the mum of girls who only want to wear leggings in winter I love the curved hem on this view and the fact that it gives some bottom coverage. This view includes a crew neck, and sleeve cuffs, and two options for sewing that curved hemline depending on skill level. As with all of the views of this pattern you can swap out the crew neckline for a funnel neck if preferred. For this sample we used a gorgeous Liberty of London french terry and love how it turned out!
View C is a sweater with waist tie.
This view of the pattern includes the sweetest tie hemline, crew neck and cuffs. This view is very slightly cropped, but still appropriate for little ones. The length and cinching at the waist make it a wonderful sweater to wear with dresses and skirts. As with all of the views of this pattern you can swap out the crew neckline for a funnel neck if preferred. For this sample we used quilted sweat shirting and matching ribbing from Nosh Organics.
View D is a cropped sweater with funnel neck.
This view of Mini Jarrah includes a funnel neck and a very cut crop length which is still kid appropriate. I love how warm and snuggly this view is and it’s really great for kids who need some extra warmth around the neck on cold days. You can also add the hem band to this view if you’d like and as with all of the views of this pattern you can swap out the funnel neckline for a crew neck if preferred. We used some gorgeous deadstock rib knit from our studio for this sample (which wink wink will be on the website soon).
I love this pattern for my kids cold weather wardrobes! The loose fit and drop shoulders make for a super warm, comfy garment that will grow with your child and the small yardage required makes it super economical and a great way to use up leftover fabrics.
I am really excited to try some hacks like leaving off the sleeves for a summer tee option and lengthening into a dress!
I really hope you love this pattern as much as i enjoyed making it for you!
We’d love to see what you’re creating from the new Mini Jarrah pattern! Don’t forget to tag your creations #MNminijarrah and @megannielsenpatterns to share what you’ve been working on, and check out what everyone else is up to!
Don’t have the pattern yet? Order Mini Jarrah today!
Jarrah Sewalong // How to sew the tie hem (view c)
Last but not least – let’s do the tie hem on our Jarrah sweaters! If you are making View C, the time has finally come to finish your top, and this post is just for you! The details of this hem may seem a little intimidating, but it’s really not bad at all. It’s my favourite of all the hem options. We’ll go over how to get around that little curve, as well as some options for finishing the tie points – including mitered corners!
Let’s just get to it….