There’s nothing better than a good basic pattern as you can hack it indefinitely !
@bee_made
Elegance and discretion are two adjectives that come to mind when we thing about Barbara. Not only is she a talented seamstress but she’s also got the skills and the creativity to hack patterns beautifully. She inspires many seamstresses on her blog and her Instagram account (@bee_made). Lately her flanged shoulders version of the I AM Apollon sweatshirt caught our eyes and we’ve asked her if we could share her tutorial on our blog too. She’s kindly agreed.
The copy below has been translated from her blog where she posted the tutorial.
I had noticed flanged shoulders were making a come-back. The construction seemed simple enough and doable from a classic sweatshirt! Apollon was perfect for it!
@beemade
Barbara’s flanged shoulders Apollon sweatshirt
The I AM Apollon sweatshirt is not a new pattern (I already hacked it 4 years ago for my daughter) but it is a staple pattern to have in your pattern stash. It’s a timeless pattern, the fit is great and it can be hacked indefinitely!
Whilst tidying up my fabric stash the other day I found this lovely off-white jersey and I instantly knew it’d be great for my project!
I had wanted to make a sweatshirt with flanged shoulders. One just like the ones you can find in shops at the moment. Flanged shoulders make a great statement garment as well as shoulder pads which are also making a come-back!!! So I got I AM Apollon out of my stash, I drafted the flange insets, cut, everything and sewn it all and here is the result!
The I AM Apollon sweatshirt is particularly good for this hack as the armholes are high enough to have the right proportion between the width of the inset and the width of the garment itself. The flange will cover the shoulders without being too large.
After seeing it, many of you have been asking for a tutorial via my Instagram. I made one in French on my blog and here it is translated in English.
Adding a flange inset on a sweatshirt
The garment is entirely sewn using an overlocker (serger) but it is possible to sew it using a sewing machine using a stretch stitch (for this, see the recommendations in the booklet).
Note that I have sewn the garment in size 38 and I have shortened the garment by 1 5/8’’ (4 cm).
Creating the pattern pieces
Trace both the front (piece 1) and the back (piece 2) without the seam allowances (seam allowance for the I AM Apollon sweatshirt is 3/16’’ (5 mm)).
Draw a curve to separate the pieces into one main bodice piece and a side piece. On the shoulder, start 4 cm from the armhole and on the side seam finish approximately at the waist (38 cm for me) See drawing below.
Trace all four pieces following the cut lines you just draw and add the seam allowances.
- Piece 1A = Front Bodice
- Piece 1B = Side Front
- Piece 2A = Back Bodice
- Piece 2B = Back Front
Draw the flange inset by following the shoulder line and the cut line previously drawn. On the side draw a straight line (parallel to the side). This external line of the flange should be at least 1 cm from the side seam inside of the bodice. This is so you can stitch the side seams later without taking the flange in the seam.
Trace the flange inset piece by tracing the front first and then align the shoulder seam to the shoulder seam of the back to trace the back of the flange. Add the seam allowances all around. This piece becomes piece 7 in the instructions below.
NOTE: you have to keep the slope of the shoulder line so your flanges don’t spike upwards. If you look at the drawing of piece 7 closely, you’ll see that the flange has a croissant-like shape.
Cutting the fabric
Cut the fabric as follows:
- 1A – Front Bodice: cut x 1 on fold
- 1B – Side Front: cut x 2
- 2A – Back Bodice: cut x 1 on fold
- 2B – Back Front: cut x 2
- 3 – Sleeve: cut x 2
- 4 – Waistband: cut x 1 on fold
- 5 – Neckband: cut x 1 on fold
- 6 – Cuff: cut x 2
- 7 – Flange Inset: cut x 4
No changes were made to the neckband and the cuffs of the original sweatshirt.
Sewing the pieces for the bodice
Place the front bodice and the back bodice (pieces 1A and 2A) together at the shoulders and sew. Press the seams towards the back.
Sew the neckband to the neckline following steps 5 and 6 of the booklet.
Place one side front (piece 1B) and one side back (piece 2B) right sides together and align their shoulders. Sew and press the seam towards the back. Repeat for the other side.
Place two flange pieces (piece 7) right sides together and sew the outer side (inside curve of the piece). On the wrong side, understitch the seam allowances together. Turn right side out and press. Repeat to assemble the other flange inset.
Assembling the bodice
Place the assembled bodice unfolded right side facing you.
Overlay the flange inset right side facing you and align its raw edges with the raw edge of the bodice. NOTE: The extremities of the flange should sit at least 1 cm from the extremities of the bodice. Where the extremities of the flange sit will depend on how far from the side seam you have decided to draw your flange inset.
Overlay the assembled sides (1B and 2B) wrong side facing you and align the raw edge. Sew and press.
Finishing off
From then onwards, follow the steps indicated on booklet to finish your garment.
It’s finished. Don’t forget to share it on Instagram by tagging @bee_made, @iam_patterns, #iampapollon and #iamhacking
We’d like to thank Barbara once again for agreeing to share her tutorial on our blog in English. If you don’t follow her sewing adventures, join her by clicking on the links below. If you want to make Apollon but you don’t have the pattern, discover it now too.
