Adding a snap OPENING
I really loved the look of the Dog Oodies which were similar looking to our Hoodie Pattern, but with a snap opening along the dogs chest.
I love using plastic fasteners, they're also known as Kam Snaps. They're commonly used in baby onesies and you can usually buy them at any fabric/sewing/craft store. You will also need the fastening tool. The concept for this hack can be modified for other options to like buttons, velcro or even a zip. But my personal preference is the snaps, I think they're super easy and discrete.
HOW TO...
1. Begin by cutting out all the pattern pieces as described in the instructions - EXCEPT THE BELLY PANEL... With your belly panel piece, fold it in half and add some extra width for your snaps. Doing this means that when you add your snaps you don’t loose any width in the belly (which would make it tighter). My snaps are 20mm, so with that considered and seam allowance, I made my extra width 6cm.
2. Because your hoodie should be made of stretch fabric, you need sturdy, non-stretch fabric to reinforce the snaps. This gets sewn inside the snap channel. The measurements of the reinforcing fabric should be the same as the extra width you’ve added onto the belly piece.
3. Next you will put your reinforcing fabric on top of the belly piece as demonstrated in the photo below. I overlocked the raw edge labelled “A” to secure the reinforcing fabric to the belly piece. Then I folded the extra width over itself, pinned and sewed.
By the end of this step, I had both of my belly pieces reinforced and stitched (as shown in the below image). Now you can proceed with the remaining instructions.
4. When you get to the last step, adding a finishing cuff to the edges of the main body, you will need to make a slight adjustment so the garment can open and close. Take the ends of the long strip and fold them over themselves, sew on both ends.
5. Now turn the strip right side out, so the tiny seam is inside the band. Pin the band all the way around the body. You may also choose to top stitch these bands neatly down.
6. The last step is to add your plastic fasteners. If you haven't used them before, have a practice on a thick piece of scrap fabric. See below for how I laid out my snaps.
