guest post: the hedgehog top, a tutorial

Posting this tutorial on my blog, originally seen here.

First off, I want to say thanks to Jessica for hosting this fun Pattern Remix series! no, no, not me myself Jessica.......Jessica from Me Sew Crazy, of course! I was trying to think of ideas for my remix and made this quick top one afternoon. I even took pictures of it before I realized it was a great remix! haha. I'm nothing if not totally unaware at times.

So, why call this the hedgehog top? Why, because of that adorable button on back! (more info on that later) My remix is based on this tutorial of mine-basically...er...the straps are the same. lol! It's also got a button closure like the Sadie shirt, and is made with a bodice pattern like the  pretty easy sundress.

So it's pretty much the top that got made when all those tutorials got mixed together in the blender. I call that a good remix!

I also call that a CA-UTE face, but let's face it, I'm totally biased.

Oh come on! Those cheekies are amazing, no?

Back to the button (told ya I would) Isn't it the cutest button you have ever seen? AGH! It's from my sponsor, Incomparable Buttons. They make the most amazingly detailed buttons-in South Africa! They really are so adorable. (and totally washable!)

I also got my middle fabric (Heather Bailey Freshcut) from an amazing reader of mine-she sent me some of her scraps as a thank you. What a sweetheart!

So anyways, enough of me yapping, would you like to know how to make a top like this? It's fairly simple!

Click below for the full tutorial!

You'll need:

3 different fabrics (how much depends on how many layers and what size top you're making. I used scraps mostly, totaled probably 1/2 yd)

thread

button (hedgehog preferably...hehe just kidding)

child's chest measurement

So first I made a pattern-basically like I do in the pretty easy sundress-you can go to that page for more detail on the pattern making. Very easy!

Then I cut out 4 pieces, then pinned them together in pairs along the top.

On one of the bodice pairs, I marked the middle and pinned it like so. Then I sewed along the top, then turned my fabric, and sewed down next to the line.

 I stopped halfway up the other side to insert my elastic piece (I cut mine to 2"), just like the Sadie shirt closure. Pinned it in, then started sewing where I let off-up to the top, turned my fabric, and continued along the top.

 

Then I cut down the middle of my stitches, being careful to to snip through the end- then turned right side out and pressed with my iron.

With the other bodice piece, I simply sewed across the top, turned right sides out and pressed.

I then pinned and sewed the sides of the bodice right sides together, and finished the seams.

I also top stitched that serged seam down, but that's optional.

Now for the panels. I decided to cut my middle panel of fabric 4" wide. To find the length I wanted it to be, I measured the bottom of the bodice (10") divided it in half (5") and added those together to get 15" for the length. (yah I passed math in high school...barely.)

I then cut 2 pieces of fabric 4"x15 for my middle layer.

Sew the short ends RST and finish the seams.

Then sew a gathering stitch along one side of the tube, and gather it to fit the bottom of your bodice.

Pin, RST, and sew it to your bodice.

Same super confusing math equation for the bottom piece. Only I made mine a little wider (5") and shorter than it needed to be.

Have I lost you yet? I think I lost myself. That's why I should not try and explain anything math/ratio related.

Anyways...sewing!

I hemmed under one side before I sewed it to the rest of the shirt, but you could easily do that after sewing it on.

Do the same-gathering stitch, gather to fit first tier, and sew on. Finish seams.

Make straps using the instructions in this tutorial, sew them on and you're done!

Well, not quite yet. Sew on your cutest hedgehog ever button and THEN you're done! Good news, if you like their buttons-I'm hosting a giveaway with them near the end of May! hip hip hooray!