How to Make a Baby Circle Top Shirt
A sleeveless top with a circle collar is a classic style for babies and young girls. It's comfortable and flexible, it looks great with shorts or leggings, and, depending on the fabrics, it can be a lightweight summer blouse or a warm winter smock. This simple sewing project is very flexible. Once you've mastered the basic technique, you can lengthen the blouse to make an adorable toddler dress or even draft a pattern to make a chic retro top for yourself.
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Pencil or chalk
- Heavy craft paper
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- 1/8 yard collar fabric
- 1/2 yard shirt fabric
- 1/8 yard fusible interfacing
- 6 inches of 1/4-inch elastic
- 2 flat buttons
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Sewing machine
- Thread
Instructions
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Drafing the Shirt Pattern
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1
Measure your baby from the tip of one shoulder to the tip of the other across the back of the neck. Divide this measurement in half to get the radius of the circle collar fabric.
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2
Measure the circumference around your baby's neck, adding at least an inch of ease. Divide the circumference by 3.14 to find the diameter of the circle for the neck opening, or use an online circle calculator to do the math for you. Divide the diameter in half to get the radius measurements of the neck opening for the circle collar.
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3
Cut a piece of craft paper about 12 inches by 24 inches. Fold the rectangle in half along the longer side to create a doubled-over square.
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4
Measure each of the four sides and mark the center point of each side. Draw lines connecting each mark to the mark on the opposite side. This will create a design like a plus sign (+).
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5
Set a pin through the hole in the metal tab at the end of your measuring tape and pin straight down through the center of the plus sign. Hold your pencil or chalk at the point on your tape for your neck opening radius measurement, and rotate the tape around the pin, marking as you go to create a complete circle.
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6
Move your pencil or chalk to the point on your tape for your collar fabric size measurement, and rotate the tape around the pin, marking as you go to create a complete circle. This will create a "donut" shape of two concentric circles, one a bit larger than the other.
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7
Cut out both layers of the paper at once, to end up with two identical "donut" shapes.
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8
Take one of the paper donut shapes and fold it in half, creating a semicircular arch. Cut the arch on the fold lines and discard one of the two halves. The remaining arch will be the front collar pattern piece.
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9
Take the second paper donut shape and fold it in half, again creating a semicircular arch. Measure up 2 inches from the fold on each end of the arch and mark a line across the width of the paper, parallel to the fold. Cut off the arch along these lines, and unfold the larger piece to reveal a shape similar to a capital C. This will be the back collar pattern piece. Discard the smaller piece.
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10
Measure your baby from the base of the throat to as long as you want the blouse to fall. Add 1 inch for seam allowance. This will be the length of the front and back blouse panels. Measure your baby loosely around the waist. Multiply this measurement by 1.5. This will be the width of the front and back blouse panels.
Sewing the Shirt
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11
Cut out two of the front collar piece and two of the back collar piece from your collar fabric. If the collar fabric is thin or soft, cut one each of the front and back collar pieces from fusible interfacing. Cut two blouse panels from your shirt fabric.
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12
Iron the fusible interfacing to the wrong side of one each of the front and back collar pieces. Pin a 2-inch loop of elastic onto each end of one of the back collar pieces.
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13
Pin the back collar pieces with the wrong sides together. Stitch the pieces together along the inner curve, across both ends, and about 1/4 of the way in from each end of the outer curve, leaving a broad gap. Repeat for the front collar pieces.
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14
Pleat or gather the narrow end of one of the blouse pieces so that it fits in the gap in the front collar piece. Stitch down the gathered section to one layer of the collar fabric only. Repeat for the second blouse piece and the back collar.
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15
Turn the collar pieces right-side out around the blouse pieces. Pin the edges of the gap around the gathered fabric and topstitch along the outer curve of the collar to secure everything in place.
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16
Lay the two pieces of the blouse wrong side together and pin along the side seams of the blouse section. Stitch the sides together. Pin and stitch a rolled 1-inch hem around the bottom.
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17
Try the blouse on your baby. Overlap the back tabs of the collar over the front and mark the center of each loop of elastic onto the front collar piece where it falls when fit comfortably to your baby's body. Stitch a button onto each mark.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Made in bold, contrasting solid colors this pattern easily adapts to make a retro-inspired dress for a young girl.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
