Crewneck Conversion
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Crewneck Conversion |
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Take an ordinary
crewneck sweatshirt and convert it to an appealing V-neck shirt. Just a
few quick steps and some ribbing from the fabric store make this
fashionable
conversion a snap! Or, you can use ribbing from another shirt for an
even thriftier project.
These instructions are for a man's shirt. The ribbing overlaps left
over right. For a women's shirt, ribbing overlaps right over left.
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Supplies needed:
** Sweatshirt
** Seam ripper
** 1 yard of 2-1/2 inch-wide ribbing
** Medium-weight cut-away stabilizer
** Spray adhesive
** Air-erase pen
** Measuring tape
Design used:
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Classic Steam Engine |
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Use
a seam ripper to carefully remove the stitching
of the existing collar. Then remove the collar. |
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Fold the shirt in
half, back sides together. Align the shoulder seams to make sure the
fold is even.
For a woman's shirt, measure 5 inches
from the neckline. For a man's shirt, measure 6 inches.
Mark with an
air-erase pen. |
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Lay the shirt flat,
front-side up. Draw a line from each side of the neckline to the
center mark. This creates the "V" shape. |
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Sew a
stay-stitch along both sides of the bottom 2 inches of the "V"
shape, stitching
1/2 inch away from the lines of the "V".
These stitches will
prevent the fabric from stretching or tearing while finishing the
conversion. |
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Cut out the
"V" shape from the shirt. |
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Cut
a 1/4 inch slit in the bottom of the "V". This slit allows the
seam allowances to fold at the point. |
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Use
a measuring tape to determine how much ribbing is needed for a new
collar. Start at the bottom of the "V" and hold the measuring tape
up on its edge. Measure around the entire opening including the back
of the shirt, and the other side of the "V". |
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This measurement is
the length of the ribbing. Add 2 inches to be certain there is
enough ribbing for the entire opening. The opening on our shirt is
27 inches, so our total ribbing is 29 inches.
Our ribbing was already folded because we cut it from the bottom
edge of another sweatshirt. We cut our folded ribbing to 1-1/4
inches wide.
If you are using new
ribbing, lay it flat, measure the desired length and cut a strip
that is
2-1/2 inches wide. Fold the ribbing lengthwise and press.
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Fold
the ribbing widthwise and mark the center. This mark will be used to
align the center. |
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Measure between the
top sides of the neckline, and mark the center of the back of the shirt. |
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To
add the ribbing to the shirts, lay
the shirt backside facing up. Align the center mark on the ribbing
with the center mark on the back of the shirt, keeping raw edges
together. Pin in place. |
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Working from the
center point in the back, pin the ribbing along one side of the
opening until it reaches the bottom of the "V".
For a man's shirt,
pin the ribbing starting on the right side of the opening. For a
woman's shirt, pin the ribbing along the left side of the opening.
This will allow
the ribbing to overlap properly. |
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Starting at the back
of the shirt, sew a 1/4 inch seam along the edge of the opening until you
reach the bottom of the "V".
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Pin the other
half of the ribbing to the other side of the opening. Starting at
the back of the shirt, stitch a 1/4 inch seam along the edge of the
opening. Stop 1-3/4 inches away from the bottom of the "V". This
will allow space for the ribbing to be overlapped. |
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Lay the
second half of the ribbing under the first half. Turn the
remaining raw edge of the shirt into the ribbing and pin all in
place. |
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Turn the
layer of shirt fabric and ribbing under and press it flat to the
shirt. Top stitch on the shirt, around the entire collar, with an
1/8 inch seam. |
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Trim
the excess ribbing at the bottom of the "V". |
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For extra personalization, we are
embroidering a design on the left chest.
Print a full-size
paper template of the design. Trim around it for easier placement.
Position the design where you want it (generally 7 to 9 inches down from the shoulder seam).
Center the design between the side seam and the collar -- or about 4
to 6 inches away from the bottom of the "V". Poke a hole in the
center of the template and mark it on the shirt. Mark the horizontal
and vertical axis points as well. |
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Remove the template and
draw lines connecting the marks. Spray a piece of medium weight,
cut-away stabilizer with adhesive and hoop it with the shirt. Align
the marks on the hoop with the lines on the shirt. Attach the hoop
to the machine, load the design, align the needle directly over the
center point and embroider the design. When the design is finished
embroidering, carefully trim away excess stabilizer. |
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