Now that the Wyler Hoodie Sew Along has wrapped up, it's time to play with hacking the Wyler Hoodie sewing pattern. For my original Wyler Hoodie, I made the sleeveless vest style adding my typical 1/2" in length.
For a fun hack of the pattern, I created a cropped version with an elasticized waistband. Simple and sporty.
The photo above is the inspiration behind this style.
I wanted the look of the waistband with casings, and I have a tutorial for creating it below. For more gathers like the inspiration image, you would need to cut the waistband pieces wider than the pattern pieces.
To achieve the cropped look, I cut down the bodice pattern pieces by 3". I omitted the pockets since they would fall at an awkward height with the shortened bodice.
To create the elasticized waistband, sew the two waistband pieces right sides together at the short ends. Press the waistband in half wrong sides together. Divide the waistband in three sections, mine are about 1 1/4" apart, taking into account the 1/2" seam allowance to attach the waistband. Stitch two rows to create the casings with a stretch stitch. Leave a 2" gap in each row.
Insert elastic in the bottom two rows sewing the ends of the elastic together. Stitch the casings closed. I used 1" wide knit elastic. I judged the length of the elastic based on where the waistband would hit on my body. For ultimate customization, I even made the top elastic a bit shorter than the rest based again on where it hit on my body. A safe estimate is also to cut the elastic to match with width of the waistband.
For the top casing, sew the elastic into a circle and insert it between the two layers of fabric. Pin the elastic as close to the stitching line as possible.
Place the waistband right sides together with the bodice and stitch along the raw edges being careful not the catch the elastic in the seam.
Done!
As an added bonus, the extra elastic in the waistband gives a degree of tummy control, and who doesn't love that!