Hack: Callie’s Nightgown to Sweatshirt

With the blast of freezing weather that’s recently hit the Midwest, I’ve found my wardrobe lacking longer sleeves and cozy sweatshirts. I decided last summer that I was done buying ill-fitting, boring tops from big box stores, so I turned to my patterns and fabric stash collection.

I found that I don’t have an adult pattern meant for making sweatshirts, so I looked again with an eye out for making modifications. I love getting the most bang for my buck by using my patterns for more than just what the designer intended. 😉

I’ve made myself a couple of Callie’s Nightgowns and know the pattern fits well. They are so comfortable that I knew I could make a great sweatshirt with just a few small changes.

The first thing I did was to cut the bottom off to make it top-length. For my 5’6″ frame, I cut so that from the shoulder point to bottom edge measured about 26.5 inches. I considered taking the side seams in for a closer fit, but after choosing to use this microfleece I decided to leave it looser for coziness.

Another minor change I made was to put bands on the bottom of the sleeves (I used the pattern’s 3/4 sleeve option because I was running out of fabric) to eliminate having to hem the stretchy microfleece.

Finally, I cut a band the length of my hip measurement and sewed it around the shirt’s bottom edge. This both saved me from having to properly hem it and pulled the bottom in to create the sweatshirt look I was aiming for.

Ready to make yourself a cozy sweatshirt or comfy nightgown? Right now, Callie’s Nightgown & Nightshirt is on sale during the “All Tucked In for the Holidays” blog tour, which is featuring the girls size Riley’s Nightgown & Sleep Shirt. You can use code SNUGASABUG to save 30% on either of these two patterns (or you can get the already discounted bundle of both size ranges and save even more!) until 11:59PM PST on Dec. 11.

If you make a sweatshirt (or nightgown), we’d love to see. You can share pictures on EYMM’s facebook page or, even better, you can join the group and see what everyone there is making with all EYMM patterns!

Happy Sewing!!  ~  Joelle