The Crafty Mimic: Peekaboo Shoulder Sweatshirt

I have fallen in love with a sweatshirt of all things, and better yet… I can wear it anywhere. It still has the comfort of a sweatshirt, but with a style that gives it some flare. I’ve even been asked where I bought it. I gotta say, it’s a little thrilling to be able to say that I put it together myself.

Here’s how I did it.

This was a combination of a blog and a video.

5 DIY Sweatshirts

Peekaboo Shoulders

Find a sweatshirt that you like. I started off with a men’s XL sweatshirt.

I loved the color, but the fit was horrible. So, I revamped it a little.

First, I cut off the bottom of the sweatshirt as well as the ribbing on the arms.

Then, I went ahead and resized it to fit me better by taking in the sides and also in the armpit area. Once that was done, I tried it on and even though I liked the fit, I realized that I liked it better with the ribbing ON at the bottom of the sweatshirt and at my wrists. Yes, I'm a little indecisive.

Time for a little seam ripping. I took off the excess fabric that was cut off with the ribbing, then pinned it to the new edge of the sweatshirt (right sides together). Once all pinned, I sewed them together using a ¼” seam, stretching it tight as I went.

**This was when I found that the base of sewing machines can be removed for easily sewing around arm and leg holes. It might have been a no-brainer to some people, but to others that are learning as they go, it was like striking gold!**

Now I was ready for the next step… The peekaboo shoulders.

When you have a sweatshirt that fits how you like, put it on and make chalk marks where you want the opening to start and stop, on your shoulder and on your arm. Then cut out the opening just inside your chalk marks.

**Be sure to cut out a little at first, then put it on to see if how much more you want to cut, if any. I’m going to sound like a mom here… You can always cut more off, but you can’t put it back on. (In actuality, you can, but it would take restyling, more time, plus extra effort. Ugh!)**

Fold the sweatshirt in half lengthwise so the seams match, and cut the other shoulder in line with the first.

Then turn in the edges on the shoulders a small amount and glue with liquid stitch. I liked this idea for the hem because it made it so no stitching could be seen from the outside.

Now, in the blog post, she sewed on pearls around the edges of the shoulders. I wasn’t a fan of that look, but I agreed that the sweatshirt needed something more. That’s when I remembered the video I watched where she glued a statement necklace to a sweatshirt, and I knew that that’s what I wanted to do.

I found an inexpensive necklace at the store, and took out my E6000 glue.

**Warning, exposure to said glue could cause kidney damage.** What?? That’s a new one. You know it’s has to be some good glue when it can cause bodily harm. That said… use with caution!**

Place the necklace where you want it, put a strip of glue against the neckline of the shirt stopping at the shoulder seams, and pressed the necklace in place. Once the glue dries, remove the remaining links that aren’t glued down at the back of your shirt.

Now, mine did stick with just the glue, but I wanted to make sure it didn’t go anywhere, so I also sewed it down, making sure to hide all the stitches.

That was it. It’s fairly simple and now I have a sweatshirt that looks and feels great.