Feel like making a zipped sweatshirt but don’t want to buy a new pattern? You’re in the right place! I’ll tell you all there is to know to add a zipper to the TITUS or Maxi-TITUS hoodie patterns (or any other hoodie pattern, for that matter!).
For those who’ve already sewn a Titus hoodie, you know that I don’t line the hood! For one, I’m lazy and I own that, but I sincerely think that a simple hem to finish the edge of the hood is a more that acceptable finish. However, when I started thinking of inserting a zipper in my hoodie, I racked my brain for a while to find the best way to hide the neckline seam at the junction with the hood, and make the zipper work for (almost) all neckline options. The use of a facing finally revealed itself to me as the solution to all my problems, and I’ll tell you here, in details, how to draw and sew it for impeccable finishes, whether you’ve picked the hood, the turtleneck or the crewneck (the overlapped collar, meanwhile, will not be treated here).
As for the pockets, adding the zipper will be possible for all options (the kangaroo pocket will be transformed into 2 half kangaroo pockets, the side pockets and the chest pocket will remain unchanged).
For the comfort touch, and a cool detail, I also propose a small zipper guard, to add to the upper part of the zipper, to avoid irritating your poor little chin!
All values are given in centimeters.
Supplies
To make this zipped sweatshirt, you will need:
- a main fabric for the body of the garment with an elasticity of at least 30% (sweatshirt, stretch fleece, stretch fleece...) – footage provided in the basic tutorial, depending on chosen pocket and neckline options,
- knit ribbing for the waistband, wrists and crewneck, (measure the elasticity of the ribbing, you will need it!) – footage provided in the basic tutorial according to the neckline options,
- 1 separable zipper for the front, minimum length is given in the tables below, depending on the size (kids sizes = tailles enfants, adult sizes = tailles adultes, first row of tables are for hood and crewneck options, second row is for turtle neck option).
Adjustments to pattern pieces and fabric cutting
Seam allowances are included and are of 6mm, if no further indication is given.
In main fabric
Pieces 2-Back, 3-Sleeve, 4-Hood, 7-Side Pocket, 8-Side Pocket lining and 9-Chest Pocket will not be modified and will be cut (if these options are chosen, of course) according to the basic pattern tutorial.
Adding seam allowance for the zipper
Pieces 1-Front, 5-Kangaroo Pocket and 6-Turtleneck must be adjusted to accommodate the zipper. These pieces will not be cut on the fold of the fabric, as intended in the basic pattern, but they will be cut twice, after adding a 1cm seam allowance all along the front middle.
Tracing of facing and zipper guard
The facing is the piece that will hide the zipper on the inside of the garment. You will therefore need 2 of them, and they will have exactly the same height and shape (at the neckline) as the middle of the modified piece 1-Front (with added seam allowance). For kids sizes, draw a 5cm wide (6cm for adult sizes) strip along fabric straight grain (Droit fil du tissu), at least as high as piece 1-Front. Then, align cut 1-Front piece on this strip, and trace the neckline curve starting from the middle (see diagram below).
The zipper guard is a small lined semicircle that will straddle the top of the zipper. This semicircle will have a radius of 4cm (a diameter of 8cm), and will also be oriented in direction of fabric straight grain. Cut facing and zipper guard twice.
In knit ribbing
The waistband, wristbands and side pocket bands will not be modified. Refer to the basic pattern tutorial to cut them.
If you choose to sew the crewneck, it will have to undergo a small adjustment. Cut the neckline according to dimensions given in the basic pattern tutorial. Fold the strip in half, width-wise. Make a mark 5cm from the edge, at the top and bottom of the strip (A), as well as in the middle of the short raw edge (B). Then draw a gentle curve between these points to give its (symmetrical) shape to the neck band.
Assembly
Mounting the pockets
Start by mounting the pockets you have chosen. The side pockets and chest pockets are mounted normally, as with the basic Titus sweatshirt.
Half kangaroo pockets
Fold in 2cm of the oblique edge to wrong side (WS) on each half kangaroo pocket and pin in place.
Sew with a straight stretch stitch 1.5cm all along the folded edge.
Fold in 1cm the upper edge and the short side of each pocket to WS and place them on both Front pieces , aligning front middle and bottom raw edges. Pin in place.
Sew with a straight stretch stitch 5mm from fold, along side and top of pockets.
Mounting the body
With WS together, pin both Front pieces on Back piece, at the shoulders, and sew with an overlock stitch 6mm from raw edge.
Assemble the sleeves to the body, then close the sides and sleeves with a single (overlock) seam, according to basic tutorial.
Assemble wrist bands according to basic tutorial.
Mounting the waistband and facing
On each facing, neaten the highest long edge with a zigzag or overlock stitch (or serge). Beware, if your fabric is also stretchy lengthwise, check that this finishing does not stretch the facing in length. If so, skip this step.
On right side (RS) of (unfolded) waistband, pin the RS of bottom of facing (the straight short edge), making sure that the longest edge of facing is oriented towards the middle of the waistband.
Sew with an overlock stitch 6mm from raw edge (or serge) only along width of facing.
Fold the waistband in half lengthwise, with WS together and pin it in this position.
Pin the folded waistband on lower edge of body, stretching the belt to distribute it evenly. The belt is lodged between the body and the facings.
At both ends, pin only the edge of the belt with no facing to the body, over the width of the facing. Fold and pin the facing down so that it is not sewn to the body.
Sew with an overlock stitch 6mm from the raw edge (or serge) all along the lower edge of the body, stretching the belt, and being careful not to sew the facings in this seam.
The bottom of kangaroo pockets or side pockets will have to be sewn with this seam.
Assembly of neckline option
Hood
Assemble the hood according to the tutorial of the basic pattern, after making the buttonholes and slide for the cord.
On the RS of body neckline, pin RS of hood, starting the hem of hood 1 cm from the middle front edge of body.
Pin RS of top of each facing over the hood, aligning the top and raw edge of facing with the upper edge and middle front of body. RS of facing is facing the WS of hood.
The hood is lodged between the body and the facings.
Sew with an overlock stitch 6mm from raw edge (or serge), from on middle front to the other.
Turtle neck
Assemble both sides of the turtleneck, according to the basic tutorial: with RS together, sew an overlock stitch along the back of the turtleneck (the rounded side of the pieces).
On the unfolded collar, at each end, pin the facings, with RS together, aligning the raw edges.
If your fabric is oriented, be sure to pin the siding to the inside bottom of finished turtleneck.
Sew with an overlock stitch 6mm from raw edge (or serge) only on the width of the facings.
In these photos, you may notice that the waistband has not been fully attached to the body. This should not be the case for you (I wanted to make it complicated when I could make it simple?).
Fold the collar in half length-wise, with WS together, to align the necklines, and pin it in this position.
On RS of body, pin collar to neckline, aligning raw edges of neckline and front middle edges.
At each end of collar, ONLY pin the edge of collar without facing to the body. Fold the edge with the facing and pin it down so as not to sew it with body.
Sew with an overlock stitch 6mm from raw edge, from one middle front to the other, making sure not to sew the facing.
Crewneck
Fold the crewneck band in half lengthwise, with WS together and press to mark the fold.
Pin folded neckband to RS neckline of the body, stretching the neckband to distribute it evenly.
Align the tip of the neckband with the upper corner of body front middle.
Pin RS of upper edge of each facing over the neckline, aligning the top and raw edge of facing with upper edge and middle front of body. The neckband is lodged between the body and the facings.
Sew with an overlock stitch 6mm from ra wedge (or serge), from one middle front to the other.
On RS, the neckband "emerges" from the seam about 1cm from the raw edge of the middle front.
Mounting the separable zipper
Hood and crewneck options
Pin the two pieces of zipper guard, with RS together, along the round edge.
Sew with an overlock stitch 6mm from raw edge (or serge) along round edge.
Turn the piece to RS and topstitch the round edge with a straight stretch stitch 5mm from the fold.
With the body inside out, pull fabric of waistband to have it inside out at the edges, flatten and align raw edges of waistband. Pin the excess fabric in place so as not to risk it getting caught in the zipper seam.
At the top of middle front, pin the zipper guard on RS of Front and Facing, straddling the neckline seam, aligning raw edge with middle front.
The zipper guard must be placed on the side where zipper pull tab will be located.
Pin strip of separable zipper with pull tab, along RS of body middle front, making sure that the pull tab is facing RS of body (and not facing the facing?). Make sure that bottom of zipper is securely wedged at bottom of waistband, but without stretching waistband.
Then pin RS of facing over the zipper, aligning raw edges, and both seams of waistband. At the top, push the zip as high as possible into the hollow of the zipper guard, and fold the excess zip (if there is any), 90 ° outwards.
Zipper is lodged in the waistband at the bottom.
Zipper is lodged in the zipper gard at the top.
Using zipper foot, sew with a straight stitch (no stretch), along the zipper, starting from the bottom. Stop the seam right after the top fold of the zipper, to secure it in this position.
Repeat for other side of zipper, without the zipper guard.
On RS, make sure that both sides of the neckline are aligned, as well as both sides of the belt.
If one side is longer than the other, partially rip out the zipper seam on the shorter side, and re-mount the zipper, slightly stretching the fabric to make up the gap.
On WS, cut the excess of zipper, if any.
Turtle neck
Mounting of the zipper is done in the same way on the turtleneck, except that the zipper does not stop at the neckline seam, but at the top of the turtleneck. The difficulty lies in the fact that, at this stage, the collar being sewn to the body, it is impossible to turn it entirely inside out. It will therefore be necessary to arrange to have raw edges of collar middle front laying flat, turning them inside out through the space left along the width of the facing. You can then insert the zipper and sew it, being careful not to sew the excess fabric of the turtleneck that piles up nearby...
With body and facing inside out, pull on turtleneck fabric to partially turn it inside out and "clear" the raw edges.
Then pin the excess of fabric to move it away from the raw edge and avoid sewing it with the zipper.
Prepare the zipper guard as for the other neckline options, and wedge it in the upper hollow of the collar, aligning raw edges.
Pin the zipper along the raw edge of middle front, between body and facing, from bottom of waistband to top of turtleneck.
Make sure that the pull tab is facing the body rather than the facing, that both seams of waistband are aligned, and fold the excess zip 90° outwards.
Using zipper foot, sew with a straight stitch (no stretch), along the zipper, starting from the bottom. Stop the seam right after the top fold of the zipper, to secure it in this position. Repeat with other side of zipper without zipper guard, make sure alignment is correct on RS and cut excess of zipper tape.
Finishing
All that is left to do is topstitch the zipper and neckline with a single seam. Topstitch the zipper with a (non stretch) straight stitch 5mm from the fold of the fabric, then topstitch the neckline, with a straight STRETCH stitch 2mm under the neckline seam, and finish on the other side of the zipper.
You’re all done! Leave a comment or ask a question down here, and if you like this, let me know! #isewtituszippe @atelieradriette
