The Exhibitionist - Alien Skull Hoodie Tutorial

Hey folks :)

Over at Project Run and Play this weeks theme is "Signature Style" and I had no problem at all identifying mine. My husband describes me as someone who "talks like a textbook and dresses like they are out of a music video". Couldn't have put it better myself. I like obnoxiously bright colours, bold prints, mixed textures and unexpected pairings. I have a mohawk and bold glasses, I don't think I'll ever switch to contacts. I like every aspect of my outfit to shout with personality.

But above all my number one factor will always be comfort. I have had fibromyalgia for over 4 years now and I avoid anything starchy, stiff or elastic, I wouldn't last a half hour. Luckily, the day I found out about this week's theme I was wearing an outfit that I though perfectly represented my signature style:

For mom:

 



I made every part of this outfit too! Skull T. Flannel. Pants.

 

For Wildeman:

 



The Ehibitionist

 



 

and with the flannel:

 

He was getting grumpy fast, that flannel shirt was warm even with the cotton jersey panels for venting. My little man is a bit of a whiner when it comes to temperature.

I have decided to break the tutorial into two parts.

Below is the Alien Skull Hoodie and Baby Pants are over here.

The Baby Flannel Shirt with Cotton Panels is over there and here.  

 

Tutorial shall we?

 

Alien Skull Hoodie Tutorial

 

Step 1 is to grab a shirt that fits your baby, iron it out, fold it in hald and trace the body of the shirt onto the fabric for the hoodie, wrong sides in. You can use tailors chalk, regular chalk, soap, even pencil depening on your fabric. Just trace the body of the shirt, not the sleeves.

 

I started out with one of my very first refashions, a fail.

 



Yeah, I know they don't match. They will.

Fold them in half so your peices are symmetrical.



Add a seam allowance and cut a high collar.

Decide which piece is the fron and cut a the collar lower so you don't choke your baby (baby choking is never good).

 

Now you need sleeves! You could just cut one piece with just the sleeves and the body but then you'll have a weird looking crease and really, when do you ever see shirts like that? Proffesional cyclists...which I'm going to assume your baby is not. Same deal here. Fold your fabric in half, wrong side out. Lay the sleeve of your existing shirt over top and trace. Adjust for length and size accordingly (chubby arm baby anyone?)

 

Okay...and here I cheated. I didn't have any interfacing at the time and I was on a schedule. I'm not going to show you how I reverse appliqued because it is the more difficult, less neat, super lame, don't-do-it-this-way method. I have interfacing now and will be posting a reverse applique tutorial shortly. Until then here you are.

 

Time to assemble.

 

Keeping the seams on the wrong side always you'll want to start with this:

 

Then attach the sleeves like so.

Fold it down and sew up the sides. Make sure you leave the armholes open!

 

The hood.

 

Measure your baby's head and add a bunch. You want the hood to fit loosely. Granted, it's mostly for show, how often do babies need hoods really? You want the base of the hood to be the same length as the collar plus a hem.

 

 

Benny the Beaver, my faithful assistant and pincushion, illustrating important pinning techniques.

 Sew that sucker up.

 

And who forgot to take pictures of how to attach the hood. Yeah...sorry about that. Hem the side that will be around your baby's face, then pin it around the collar, right sides together and sew!

 

Yay! You made a hoodie.

 

and

Pink Zebra Pants 

Well, really it's "Pants Tutorial"...you're on your own with the Pink Zebra fabric but consider it inspiration...or a polite suggestion. Boys + funky pink clothing is one of my favourite things ever. "But he's a boy!", you can't tell at this point anyway unless you check inside their diapers.

 

That would be over here.

 

See you at Part 2!