the Katie poncho

My friend Katie was over recently wearing this fab little jersey knit poncho.  I complimented her on it several times, then bravely asked if if could take a closer look. She finally ended up taking it off so that I could REALLY get a good look.  Of course, I’m thinking, “I could totally make this!”

She looked so cute in it. All she was wearing was some khakis and a long sleeve t with this cute little poncho.  She looked so fancy with it on. I had to have one.

One trip to Jo Ann’s to get some jersey knit fabric and less than 2 hours later, I had exactly that. A Katie Poncho. You can make one too!  Here’s how:

You’ll need:
1 yard of knit fabric of your choice. I used a jersey cotton/poly blend that has a nice drape.
Thread, fabric pencil, scissors, sewing machine

1. Cut out your piece to measure 28 x 60 inches.  The stretch should be lengthwise.

2. Sew a 1/4 inch hem around side and bottom edges. I used a zig-zag stitch for this. You can also do a rolled hem on your surger if you have one.

3. Now, fold in half, right sides together (see diagram below). Measure in 16 inches from the hemmed edge and make a mark with fabric pencil.  Sew a straight stitch to marked area with 1/2 seam allowance.

4.Open garment and lie flat so the seam is pressed flat.  Top stitch to neck opening, keeping fabric folded over and hem around neck opening. Continue top stitching other side.

5.This is what it will look like.  Adjust neck opening so that one shoulder is exposed or center opening around neck.  Seam should run along side shoulder and arm. Adjust and play with it to get desired draped and look.

Let me know if you have any questions.  Enjoy!

This entry was posted in Sewing, Tutorials, how to. Bookmark the permalink.

23 Responses to the Katie poncho

  1. I’ve been obsessed over knitted patterns for ponchos lately, but hadn’t thought of actually sewing one. Yours looks so comfy!

  2. spindelmaker says:

    Hey, that looks cute! So easy, and so cute! Great idea!

  3. Isabel says:

    Love this poncho:O) Glad I came across your Blog:O) Awesome Art:O)

  4. Mousy Brown says:

    Looks so simple but so lovely…can’t wait to try…:D

  5. Jacquie Uribe says:

    It looks great and so simple to make. I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks for sharing.

  6. Sunny says:

    You are so creative!! I love the poncho! I’ve been dying to make a Katwise Sweater Coat lately. I’m hoping to find time before Artfest so I can wear it there.

    Thanks for the compliment on the pendants. They are so fun to make. So much quicker than the dolls! xoxo

  7. MelBee says:

    I love this! So clever.x Also I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who needs to have closer looks a things to see how they are made!! So tempting to make this in whole array of colours-thankyou so much for inspiration…..off for fabric rummage now 😀

  8. I love it Regina. It looks so great on you.

  9. nycgirl says:

    You should sell these – because I would totally buy one. I have no room for a sewing machine these days!

  10. o.k. come Monday I’m making one of these! I was just pattern shopping friday for something similar but had no luck- I’ll blog it and link you! 🙂

  11. Kate says:

    I love it!! Thanks for sharing.

  12. Jaan says:

    This is so cute, and super simple. I am planning a shopping trip with my BF, we love any excuse to buy fabric. I must make one not only for myself but also for my BF. She’ll just go crazy over it. Thanks for sharing with us.

  13. Kate says:

    This was my sewing project for this morning. I was expecting, from the last pic, for this to have a straight bottom versus a pointy one but the only way that happens is if I raise one arm ;). I (my poncho) have a pointy bottom, front and back, and had to make the neck opening smaller, which gave it a drapey effect that I like. Whilst I may have not made this quite right it looks great and was quite easy!!!! Thank you for sharing.

  14. i am so loving this cute idea…must try…but first, must get fabric…i’m thinking of hand sewing it for a little something different…thanks for the idea!

  15. Jacquie Uribe says:

    As soon as I saw this tutorial, I went out and bought the necessary supplies and attempted to make the “Kate Poncho”. It did not turn out very well, but maybe it had something to do with my limited sewing skills (although the directions couldn’t have been easier), or the fact that I used a jersey knit. Luckily, I bought two yards of a polyester type material at the same time, so all hope is not lost. At least my attempts got a few laughs from my boys. Thanks again for sharing.

  16. patte in sc says:

    Oh I loved this when you posted it and last week I made it! Love it and my sis-in-law wants one now too. Thank you!

  17. Samantha says:

    I love this! You might be interested to know that there is a knit jersey poncho pattern (well, a diagram of the rectangle of fabric with size and markings) and directions in Natalie Chanin’s book, “Alabama Studio Sewing + Design”. It looks very similar to yours, except that it comes to a point in the back. There is only one seam to stitch, as the pattern does a cool trick with twisting a rectangular piece of fabric… I can’t describe it (there are probably pics on their website, alabamachanin.com) . Everything in the book uses hand stitching and there is a lot of advice for working with cotton knit jersey, as that is the only kind of fabric she uses. This is probably the simplest item in the whole book, but is a fantastic “canvas” for the stenciling, applique, embroidery, and beading techniques the book covers. It also looks great in one layer of plain black like yours. If you don’t have the book already, I highly recommend taking a look at it! Great minds think alike! Between whoever made your friend’s poncho, you and all of the people who have followed this great tutorial, and AC’s book and product I would expect most women in America would be wearing these, lol!

    Thank you for this great site! I just found it and you seem to do just about everything I like to do (from carving stamps to needlecraft, etc.). 🙂 I’m going to add it to my Bloglovin’ feed and I’m really enjoying clicking around and reading these past posts. You are very talented! Best Wishes!

  18. Karen says:

    I am going without as many chemical laden products as possible & I have been quite anxious about sunscreen season. I’m going to make one of these out of a light-weight, light colored product & see if I can wear it in the sun. I’ve been looking for an easy patern, since I knew I would find mostly winter fabric ponchos, and yours is so simple even I can do it! Thanks!

  19. Erin says:

    I am totally an amateur sewer and I came across this and decided to give it a try. I made it this morning and am wearing it this afternoon- it came out great! Thanks so much for this 🙂

  20. sandy says:

    Should it be one or two yards of material?

  21. Chelsie says:

    I love this I am planning to make this as a nursing cover. My question is I am a plus size lady and just need to know how large this fits?

Comments are closed.