Jun 11, 2012

DIY Bina Wrap Cardigan

Every time I scroll through my craft/DIY pins, I can't find any spur-of-the-moment projects where I have all the necessary materials and hours on end. Ok, it's summer, so I technically do have hours on end, but when I'm feeling crafty, I really like to see the light at the end of the tunnel by the two hour mark.  Not many projects can be researched, completed, and cleaned up in one morning.  But the Bina wrap immediately caught my eye.  Of course, it was a Tumblr link, meaning I had to search and search to get the actual links, so here are the three I used: the Wardrobe Must-Have article (best visuals), the One Cloth Five Ways post, and The Bina How-To.  Using my scrap peachy-pink jersey knit I though I was going to use for this top, I laid it out and started piecing my "pattern."

This pattern shows a "no sew" approach (hindsight!).
I disagree with the above tutorials about using three times the width of your hips.  I originally went with these measurements, and I could not do any of the Bina styles because the back had entirely too much fabric.  Instead, I did what all seamstresses loathe--I took out my stitches, re-cut my pattern, and sewed it again.  Double work is not my forte.  My motto is do it right the first time.  
 
I used my 18" ruler to round up my measurements and make this project a little quicker.  The pieces I ended up with were 18" side panels and a 36" center panel.  Top to bottom, the wrap measures 30".  Each slit was 10" long, leaving 8" of fabric on either side of the slits.  I didn't bother hemming the edges because jersey does not fray. Next time, I will make the slits 9" and the length 36".  The snaps are sewn on opposite corners.  I had to guess at this part, but after trying the shrug and the blouse styles, the snaps worked perfectly. 

All in all, I spent 15 minutes laying out my fabric, measuring, and cutting, 15 minutes sewing, 15 minutes hand stitching the snaps, and at least 30 minutes playing with all the different styles in front of the mirror.  I'm definitely going to need more practice.  The versatility of this wrap is perfect for lounge wear or put-together-enough-to-go-to-the-store-in-yoga-pants.  Now really want to go to the fabric store and get more jersey!  I'm thinking gray would be perfect.

8 comments:

  1. did you put snaps on your wrap? If so where?

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    1. I did end up putting snaps on all four corners. On the right side (top) and left side (bottom), I put the male side of the snap. On the right side (bottom) and the left side (top), I put the female side of the snap. I hope this helps!

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  2. Measurements are more helpful than a hip width, thank you. May I ask what dress size you are? I'm assuming measurements need to be adjusted according to the wearer's size? (Although I know the Bina wrap is just one size.) Thank you for the tutorial!

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  3. My mom made me one following your pattern size. It doesnt work, its the same size as yours, but I cant make any of the designs. It seems like there isnt enough fabric. :o(

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  4. Thanks for sharing information. I don't know what size of clothing you wear, but I'm a size 10/12. So would your measurements fit my size?
    Just wondering?

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  5. Hi! Thanks so much for this! I made one today and it works perfectly in all the styles. I used the measurements; 36" wide, 18" for the side panels, 36" for the centre panel and 9" for the slits

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    1. Looking forward to trying this too! Just wondering about the placement of armholes. Are they just centered? I.e. On a 36" long wrap, a 9" slit would have 13.5" on either side?

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  6. It was too much material because you probably used your hip measurement as the "hip width". It should've actually been HALF of your hip measurement, so I'm guessing you made it twice as wide as you were supposed to.... The measurements you posted here don't work for everyone, and they're too small for me - maybe you should've done more research before cutting the fabric the first time? Well anyway, as long as your method works for YOU, that's fine - but I'm sticking with the hip-width method. :)

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