Quarter Zip Sweater Hack
Have you ever wanted to swap out the full zipper in a pattern for a quarter zip pullover instead? You totally can! A quarter zip sweater is an easy hack from a full zip sweater pattern. I wanted to make a Storm combo collar and hood sweatshirt, but wanted it to be a quarter zip pullover instead of a full zip jacket. Today, I am going to show you my quarter zip sweater hack!
For this quarter zip sweater hack you need a few things:
- Storm PDF sewing pattern, available in child and adult
- A closed zipper in your desired length (or slightly longer, it is easy to shorten!)
- Any fabric and notions listed in the Storm tutorial, excluding the open zipper (For this tutorial I am using Bokeh Heart French Terry from Violet Snow Custom Fabric)
That’s it!
First, cut your front bodice on the fold instead of as two mirrored pieces. Simply use the center line as a fold line instead. You do not need to adjust for seam allowance. Press a good memory crease into the fabric. Before continuing, complete any colorblocking and pockets, per the tutorial. I added piping into my colorblock seam for fun!
On the wrong side of the fabric, mark the 3/8″ seam allowance point at the top and bottom of the collar, and the center neckline of the bodice. Overlap the bottom mark of the collar and the neckline mark.
Lay the zipper out so the ziper top stop matches the top mark on the collar. Then, make a mark where you want the zipper to end. If you like your zipper length you’ll use your stopper point. Draw a mark or place a pin on the zipper showing where you want the stopper to be.
Fuse interfacing to the width of the zipper to the wrong side of the bodice extending to the zipper ending point. Fuse interfacing to either the short ends of the collar main, or to the entire collar main (wrong side of fabric.)
Place a pin at the bottom of the interfacing, horizontally, so that the bottom of the rectangle is easily seen from the front. Use this pin as a guide, and draw a vertical line down the center memory crease, ending at the pin. Then, draw another line 1/4″ from either side of the center line, and a lower line, creating a rectangle.
Sew back and forth over the zipper at your mark, creating a new stopper. If you want a zipper tab, fold a piece of fabric around 2.5″ long in half, and place over the zipper stopper, extending as far up as you want the tab to cover the stopper. Baste in place.
Cut down the center line, half way. Do not cut all the way to the bottom of the rectangle. Sew the shoulder seams.
Follow the Storm tutorial to sew on the collar main, and if adding, the combo hood.
Lay the zipper right side facing the right side of the bodice. The zipper top should be facing the bottom of the bodice. Align the zipper STOPPER with the bottom of the rectangle. The first picture above shows that the stopper is aligned with the bottom of the rectangle. The second picture shows that you will lay your zipper over the box so that the stopper is directly on top of the bottom line of the rectangle.
Sew the zipper to the bottom line of the rectangle. The stitch line should be just above the stopper (toward the neckline). In the second picture above, you can see the seam.
Continue cutting down the center line toward the tab. Fold back the zipper tab (or bottom of zipper if you didn’t include a tab), so you can see the seam on the rectangle bottom line. Stop cutting about 3/8″ from the bottom. Cut a diagonal line from the center line out to the bottom corner. You will finish with a little triangle shaped tab.
If you now turn the zipper right side up and flip to the other side of the bodice, it should look like this. You can flip it to see, but then flip it back so that it is right sides together with the bodice as you sewed it.
Keeping the zipper right side together with the bodice, begin rotating it up. Continue rotating the zipper until the top stopper is at the neckline. Pin/clip to the bodice. Sew using a zipper foot. Stop sewing when you hit the line that you sewed in the previous step to attach the zipper bottom to the bodice. Do not sew past this line (the bottom of the rectangle). It is a good idea to baste first to check to make sure you are happy with the results before sewing.
Unzip the zipper, and flip the unsewn side of the zipper the same as on the other side, so that you can sew it to the bodice. Pin/clip the zipper to the bodice. Sew.
Lay the collar lining right side together with the collar main. Sew the SHORT SIDE of the collar. Then, follow the Storm tutorial to finish the collar. Top stitch, going down the collar from the top, following around the zipper rectangle.
Sew the bodice side seams. Place the waistband right sides together with the short ends aligned. Sew the short ends.
Fold the waist band in half length wise wrong sides together. Mark quarter points on the band and the bodice. Insert the waistband into the bodice right sides together. Match quarter points. Finish pinning/clipping. Sew. Turn right side out.
Sew and assemble the sleeves following the Storm tutorial.
You are finished! I added a tag from Shine Bright Labels.
I hope you enjoyed this quarter zip sweater hack! Making a full zip hoodie into a quarter zip is not too tricky and gives you a fun new way to sew a favorite zip up pattern. If you try this hack we would love to see! Share your quarter zip sweater in our Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram!
