"Hug It Out" Raglan Tutorial

Phew! I don't know about you guys, but I'm a little more than happy that the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over. Don't get me wrong, I love celebrating and being with family around the holidays, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt like I wanted to pull my hair out more than once. I took a much needed blog break to get my shopping done and make what was left of my Christmas gifts, and now I'm feeling rejuvenated and ready to get back into routine again, which means more sewing for the kiddos (and maybe a little bit for me!)

High on my list of to-do's was to make Connor a sweatshirt even though the weather has been more like fall than winter around here (not complaining!) I know this warmer weather won't last though, so I decided to finally cut into the gray sweatshirt fabric that I found at an estate sale ages ago. While I was at it, I also decided to do some freezer paper stenciling ombre-style, and came up with this awesome "Hug It Out" shirt that we both love.




Holy cuteness. Er, I mean toughness.

I just love the bold graphic on the front. Since I was making the shirt already, I thought I may as well do a tutorial on how to make a raglan shirt so you can make one too! I also included the "Hug It Out" template as well if you'd like to do some freezer paper stenciling.

SUPPLIES: shirt that fits your child well, freezer paper for tracing and making template, scissors, 1/2 yard + knit fabric for size 3T (depending on the size you may need more), 1/4 yard rib knit for neckline and cuffs, fabric paint, sponge brushes, sewing machine, 'Hug It Out' template here, iron and ironing board.

Creating Your Pattern:

ONE: first, take your existing shirt and fold it in half with the sleeves tucked in. Lay the shirt on some freezer paper (or paper of your choice), and trace around it, adding 1/2 inch all around for seam allowance, and 1 inch on the bottom for hemming.
TWO: draw a line from the bottom of the armhole to the top of the shirt, slightly into the neckline (see picture above.)
THREE: draw a dotted line slightly lower than your neckline to indicate where your front neckline should lay, then cut out your bodice piece.

FOUR: lay your shirt sleeve on the paper and trace around it adding 1/2 inch for seam allowance, except for at the bottom edge of your sleeve since we will be adding cuffs later. Trace the bottom edge of your sleeve 3 inches shorter than your RTW shirt.
FIVE: here is what your sleeve should look like so far.
SIX: using the bodice piece you just drew as a guide, adjust the arm hole of your sleeve to be angled like a raglan sleeve. The top of the armhole should be curved to follow the neckline of your shirt.
SEVEN: here is your finished raglan sleeve.
EIGHT: I laid my sleeve on top of my shirt to make sure the fit was good and adjusted as necessary. Note: I ended up going back and cutting my sleeve shorter than what is shown in the picture.

Cut out the following pattern pieces: 2 bodice pieces on the fold - 1 front and one back, 2 raglan sleeves cut on the fold, 2 cuff pieces from your accent fabric or ribbing (cut the width of your sleeve and 6 1/2 inches long.

Adding Wording:

ONE: you can use my free template provided here, or make your own. I cut my wording out with my Silhouette Cameo, but if you don't have a cutting machine, simply trace your wording onto the back of a piece of freezer paper (make sure to mirror your wording!), then use an X-Acto knife to cut out the lettering and iron it onto the front of your shirt.
TWO: I started out with a light color of turquoise for the word "out", and kept adding more green to give it an ombre effect as I moved upwards.
THREE: use your foam brush to carefully paint from the outside edge in to prevent pain bleeding.
FOUR: let dry according to the instructions on your paint bottle.

Shirt Construction:

ONE: after your paint has dried completely, place your sleeves right sides together (RST) on top of the front of your shirt and pin the edges. Sew the edges of your sleeves on.
TWO: when you unfold your sleeves, your shirt will look like this.
THREE: lay the back of your shirt on top of the front, RST, and pin the other edge of your sleeves to the back of your shirt with RST. Sew.
FOUR: This is how your shirt should look when you open it up. At this point, I would suggest trying your shirt on your child to make sure the neck hole is big enough. Adjust as necessary.

FIVE: measure your neck hole and subtract 1 1/2 inches. cut a piece of ribbing 2 inches wide by that number long, and place the short ends together. Sew.
SIX: fold your ribbing in half long ways to create your neck binding.
SEVEN: pin the raw edges of your binding to the raw edges of your shirt all around, stretching as needed. sew using a zig-zag stitch.
EIGHT: top stitch around your neckline to secure your ribbing to your neckline and to make sure it lays properly.
NINE: fold your shirt inside out with RST and sew from your sleeve to the bottom of your shirt on each side.

TEN: now to make your cuffs, measure the diameter of your sleeve hole and cut out two pieces of ribbing 6 inches long, and as wide as your sleeve diameter. Pin the short sides together and sew using a zig-zag stitch.
ELEVEN: fold your sleeve in half, concealing the sewn edge inside.
TWELVE: pin the raw edge of your cuff to the raw edge of your sleeve and use a zig-zag stitch to sew all around. Hem the bottom of your shirt and you're done!

And there you go, a cool shirt for a cool kid.