Gigantic Sweatshirt Refashion Tutorial!

Last summer, while scouring the clearance racks with Joshua, searching for dress pants, I came across this little (or I should say gigantic) gem...

It was cheap, it was huge, and it was the softest sweatshirt I had ever felt!

At first I thought it would just be a very cozy lounge top, but I have a weakness for leggings and tall boots, and something about this sweatshirt just begged to be tailored into a stylish addition to my afor mentioned weakness...

So I went for it and it was so easy I thought I'd share my methods!

 I began by trimming the neck, basically just cutting away the existing neckline...

I then turned the sweatshirt inside out and retrieved a similar (better fitting) shirt from my closet.  I laid the my size shirt over the large sweatshirt matching the collar and the upper part of the sleeves.  I traced the sides and the arms leaving about a 1/2" for seam allowance...

Then I cut along my lines, pinned the sides and sleeves, and sewed along each side using a 1/2" seam allowance!  (I love this material because I don't have to finish the edges, it doesn't unravel)

It's hard to see because of the lite color, but this is my finished seam...

Ok, so now it's starting to look more tailored, but I still have a problem...

The sleeves are miles too long, and the collar looks like someone cut the neck out of a sweatshirt (which someone did, but that's beside the point!)...

Ok, sleeve problem first, I measured the sleeves of the shirt I used as a pattern, and cut the sleeve to that measurement minus the length of the sleeve cuff.  ( that sounds confusing, but I plan to sew the cuff back on to the sleeve)

I trimmed the excess sleeve off of the cuff, and turned it right side out.  I then pushed the cuff inside the sleeve and pinned it all the way around...

I sewed it together using a 1/2" seam allowance.

And when turned right side out, you can hardly tell where I performed the surgery, and the sleeve is now a much better length!

Ok, now for that unfinished collar...

I have these very attractive coconut buttons that I thought could add a little character to the sweatshirt and I decided the collar was the best place for them...

 

So, I cut a 5" slit in the front right side of the collar...

And removed that ugly little triangle design...

I folded the exposed edge of the slit over and pinned it to the other side of the slit, and sewed it in place using a 1/4" seam allowance stopping just past the end of the slit.

Next I folded the collar under by 1/2" all the way around.

And sewed it in place using a 1/4" seam allowance...

I finished by hand sewing two of my buttons next to the slit seam at the collar and...

Tada!

 

 

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