How to Fold a Cardigan

Co-authored by Julie Naylon and Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: December 3, 2021 References

A cardigan is a type of sweater that buttons or zips up in front. Just like any other sweater, a cardigan can be tricky to fold, and the bulky ones can eat up a lot of space in your dresser or closet. Luckily, with a few simple folds, you can fold a cardigan and transform it into a tidy, easy-to-store rectangle. You can use the cardigan-folding methods below to fold your cardigans for drawers or a suitcase when you're packing for travel. To save even more space, try the KonMari folding method!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Doing a Traditional Flat Fold

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1
Button or zip up your cardigan. Before you start folding your cardigan, securely fasten the front closures. This will help you fold the cardigan more neatly and easily.^{[1]
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- If the cardigan has buttons, make sure to fasten all of them. If it’s a zippered cardigan, pull the zipper up all the way and lay the zipper pull flat.
2
Lay the cardigan front down on a flat surface. Once your cardigan is closed, spread it out neatly on a flat surface, such as a table or counter. Keep the front of the cardigan facing down and the sleeves out to the sides.^{[2]
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- Take a moment to smooth the cardigan out to get rid of bumps, bulges, or wrinkles.
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3
Fold over one side of the cardigan a third of the way. Take one of the shoulders and fold it inward toward the center of the cardigan, then continue the fold all the way down to the hemline. Make the fold at around one third of the width of the cardigan.^{[3]
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- Smooth out the folded edge to get rid of any bumps or bulges.
4
Place the sleeve parallel to the folded side. After you’ve made a lengthwise fold along one side of the cardigan, take the sleeve on that side and fold it down along the edge of your first fold. Adjust the sleeve so that the cuff doesn’t extend past the bottom of the hem.^{[4]
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- Try to make the outer edge of the sleeve line up with the outer edge of your fold.
- Smooth out the sleeve after you make the fold.
5
Repeat your folds on the other side. Fold the opposite side of the cardigan inward toward the middle, then fold the sleeve over on that side. After you make this fold, the sleeves will overlap slightly in the middle of the cardigan.^{[5]
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- Look over your cardigan to make sure both sleeves are neatly lined up along the sides and smooth out any bulges.
6
Bring the hem of the cardigan up to meet the neckline. Finish up by grabbing the bottom hem and folding the cardigan in half so that the hem meets the neckline. Then, turn the cardigan over so that it is face up. You should have a flat, neatly folded rectangle.^{[6]
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Tip: If your cardigan is long, fold it into thirds from bottom to top instead of in half.^{[7]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using the KonMari Folding Method

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1
Lay your closed cardigan face down on a flat surface. Button or zip up your cardigan and spread it out in front of you on a flat surface, like a counter or tabletop. Keep the front of the cardigan facing down, since you’ll be making folds along the back.^{[8]
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- Put the cardigan down so that the top is closest to you. The easiest way to do this is to hold the garment up so it faces you before laying it down.
2
Visualize a line going down the middle of the cardigan. Smooth the cardigan out so it’s nice and flat, with the sleeves out to the sides. Picture a line cutting it in half down the center from neck to hemline. You’ll be making your folds along this line.^{[9]
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- You might find it helpful to “cut” down the middle of the cardigan with the side of your hand to make a slight visible indentation along the center line.
3
Fold one side of the cardigan in toward the center line. Grab one side of the cardigan by the shoulder and hemline and fold it over so that it meets the line you visualized at the center.^{[10]
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- Take a moment to smooth out the folded side and make sure it’s neatly lined up.
4
Turn the sleeve back at the shoulder. After folding over one side of the cardigan, take the sleeve on that side and fold it back over so that it’s perpendicular to the central line. The sleeve should be sticking out away from the cardigan.^{[11]
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- This will make it easier to fold the sleeve down so it stays neatly inside the folded cardigan.
5
Make a fold in the sleeve so that it’s parallel to the center line. Take the sleeve on the side you just folded and fold it back in and then downward, toward the bottom hemline. The inner edge of the sleeve should be parallel to the center line of the cardigan.^{[12]
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- There should be a diagonal line at the top of the sleeve from around the center of the neckline to the outer edge of your first fold.
6
Repeat your folds on the other side. After you’ve folded one side of the cardigan, fold over the other side to meet the center line. Then, fold the other sleeve over so that the sleeves meet in the middle.^{[13]
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- The tops of the folded sleeves should form a neat triangle with the top point at the center of the neckline.
7
Fold your cardigan into thirds widthwise. Finally, imagine that you are cutting the cardigan into thirds from top to bottom. Grab the bottom hem and fold it up one third of the way, and then make another fold up to the neckline.^{[14]
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- If your cardigan is thick enough, you should now be able to stand it up and store it vertically to save space in your closet or dresser!
Tip: If your cardigan is made of a thinner material, you can do an even more compact fold. Fold it in half once from bottom to top, then make 1-2 more folds to create a small rectangle or roll.

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How would you effectively pack a suitcase?

Julie Naylon
Professional Organizer
Julie Naylon is the Founder of No Wire Hangers, a professional organizing service based out of Los Angeles, California. No Wire Hangers provides residential and office organizing and consulting services. Julie's work has been featured in Daily Candy, Marie Claire, and Architectural Digest, and she has appeared on The Conan O’Brien Show. In 2009 at The Los Angeles Organizing Awards she was honored with “The Most Eco-Friendly Organizer”.

Julie Naylon

Professional Organizer

Expert Answer

Rolling really does maximize the space in a suitcase. Also, if you’re packing boots or anything like that, there is open space in the boot. You could put socks in there or any other thing to use that space also.

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