I received this New Look 6648 pattern in a swap with #sewingfriends. It was technically too small, but not in the shoulders which is where it matters! The size range on this one is US 6-16 and I’m easily an 18 these days, but grading a loose fit knit pattern isn’t hard.
It did, however, take 4 days. L’sigh.
Regardless, this handmade sweater will be perfect for upcoming holiday parties! Loose fit so I can eat and drink and be merry but with those big sleeves that keeps it from being just any normal t-shirt in a sweater knit.
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New Look 6648 Description & Cost
The pattern is now out of print (OOP) but can be found on Amazon for about $6.
As described on the envelope, New Look 6648 is simply described as “easy”! Online it has a bit more with “Misses Knit Tops.” Both of these are true, though “easy” is relative to your fabric choice.
A better description would be something like:
Four variations on a blousy dolman top all with a banded waistband: View A has a wide boatneck, View B has a deep V-neck and narrow 3/4 length ruched sleeves, View C is a front wrap style with butterfly sleeves and waist tie, and View D is a sleeveless tank with a drop cowl neck.
That’s my description anyway.
I made View A with View B’s v-neck and View C’s flutter sleeves.
Size Chart
This particular envelope encompasses US sizes 6-16 which equate to bust measurements 30.5″ – 38″ or 78 to 97 cm.
This is also French sizes 34-44 or European sizes 32-42.
The only finished measurements given on the envelope are for View D bust: 30-37.5″ (76-95 cm). Not sure how that helps if you choose any of the other 3 views…
But the other views have a loose fit and knowing how much ease Big 4 patterns have, I figured my 47.5″ (121 cm) bust would only need a relatively small full bust adjustment.
Fabric
The recommended fabric for New Look 6648 is stretch knits with 50% stretch. The envelope suggests cotton interlock, jerseys, matte jerseys, lightweight double knits, stretch velvet, two-way stretch, novelty knits fabrics, and stretch lace.
I used a low-quality black poly hacci knit, which is a very lightweight sweater knit. It pilled up before I was even done sewing it, lol. It also had plenty of stretch and very liquid drape.
Pattern Instructions & Tips
New Look 6648 is pretty straightforward. A lot of reviews on Pattern Review mentioned the wide neckline, which is absolutely true. This hangs off my shoulders 80s-style, which I expected and wanted. But if that’s not what you’re after, you’ll want to narrow the neckline. Which will also mean changing the neckband length.
Because I made a v-neck version, I looked for online resources for helping make that v-point beautiful. Alina Sewing & Design Co. has a great illustrated tutorial for this! I also pinned it to my Sewing Resources pinterest board:
[apsp-board-widget board_url=”https://www.pinterest.com/petitefont/sewing-tutorials/” custom_size=’custom’ image_width=”100″ board_height=”240″]
Changing the neckline and the band size takes a little finesse. The original neckband was 95% of the length of the neckline, so when I made my adjustments, I kept the same ratio.
The pattern instructions do NOT tell you to stabilize the shoulders. I’m of the mind that you should ALWAYS stabilize your knit shoulder seams. Sie Macht has 5 options for doing it (also pinned!), so pick your favorite or whichever is most appropriate for your fabric.
I opted for the clear elastic method. Because I serged (overlocked) my sweater together, I inserted the elastic directly into the shoulder seam. All the way down to the sleeve hem! But you can use any other method of stabilizing your shoulders, just make sure you do it so your garment will last longer!
The ruching on the waistband is done backwards, in my opinion. I recommend sewing both front and back bands together and then gathering the sides. I think it’s easier to gather 2 pieces instead of 4 then sewing them in place.
Pattern Notions
The only notions listed on the envelope is optional 1/4″ elastic for View B’s ruched sleeves. I would strongly recommend stabilization for the shoulders as well!
Pattern Adjustments
This was a doozy. I made a LOT of adjustments and that’s part of the reason this took 4 days to complete.
I know I look terrible in boatneck tops (see my Uvita fail for visual proof), so I knew this was going to be a short-sleeve v-neck from the get go. The rest…
First there are my typical adjustments (minus the swayback):
- 5/8″ (1.5 cm) high round back adjustment (here are 3 different ways to do it on knits)
- 2″ (5 cm) full bust adjustment
- removed length: only 1″ (2.5 cm)
- 1″ (2.5 cm) broad back
Because this has a very wide neck, I decided to size WAY down. That also helped with the length factor. I used the size 6 shoulder line, expecting the neckline to be narrower. I blended the View B size 6 neckline onto my pattern, the size 6 sleeves from View C, and blended all of that to the size 16 waist. This removed another 1.375″ (3.5 cm) of length.
The FBA added some length and width, but after I closed the dart and redrew the side seam I realized I still needed more width. Remember, I’m not a size 16! I wanted a pretty loose fit, so I added about 2″ to both side seams (front and back) at the waist only. I blended back to my new closed dart.
THEN I had to alter the waist and neckbands.The neckband was easy. I measured around the necklines on the front and back pieces at the seam lines, took 95% of that, then added it to the middle of my pattern piece. Because I only added width at center back (the broad back adjustment) adding the extra length at the center back portion of the neckband kept all the pattern marks the same (where they meet the shoulder seams).
The waistband was a different story. I ended up adding some of the length I took out of the bodice back to the waistband. Of the nearly 3″ (7.6 cm), I added back half of that. I like the longer waistband and the blousey effect this gives the sweater. The ruching didn’t work out so great.
And because I added so much width to the bodices, I had to add some to the waistband too. The original waistband was only 1/2 shorter on each side than the bodices. So I simply added the width at each end to keep the notches lined up. And I ended up with a pucker right smack at center front…but whatever!
In the end the sleeves aren’t even super fluttery so I could have probably skipped that mess altogether…
Pattern Difficulty Rating
Is New Look 6648 actually “easy”? If you don’t make all the crazy adjustments I made and just sew this up quickly, this is probably just a 1.5 on a 5 point scale.
So, yes.
Rating: 1.5/5
Final Thoughts
It worked out almost exactly as I wanted!! I did screw up that v-neck a tiny bit (I cut the V a little too deep into the seam line—oops!), but nothing a little Fray Check and hand stitching couldn’t rescue!
It’s the almost off-shoulder black sweater of my dreams.
It’s perfect under a warm jacket for So Cal winter. Where it’s 65ºF during the day but 45ºF at night (that’s 18ºC to 7ºC), but inside you don’t want to wear anything too warm.
Especially if you’re drinking. Which I probably am.
Cheers!
Not only that but this is all-year appropriate. If you’re not currently experiencing sweater weather, make it up in a regular jersey knit and have yourself a cute t-shirt! And of course, there’s always the sleeveless View D as a hot weather option! I might tackle that in ITY next spring. Though next up I might try the long-sleeve version of View B in a cozy grey interlock I just procured…stay tuned!
Pin it for later!
