Sewing Poncho Tutorial

Poncho of hunter safety orange, with bound edges. I used 4" wide bias tape to make the binding around the entire outside edges of the poncho. Had I serged the edges to stabilize them, it would have left threads that could snag on bushes and trees, easily, so I wanted a solid edging. This will also work better with the separating zippers, that literally will turn it into a mini "tent".

My hubby wanted a fleece poncho for hunting, in hunter safety orange fleece, with a kangaroo pouch pocket inside, and with a hood, and sides that can zip up, or unzip completely, using separating zippers.

I don't have a pattern, so I used the length of orange fleece he bought, and measured his head circumference, to make the neck opening large enough for his head, and for the hood to attach.

I made the opening for the head, slightly forward of the actual top fold of the poncho, so it is 1/3 on the back of the fold, and 2/3 of the opening on the front of the poncho, so it won't pull against his neck, when he wears it.

We have gone through a few different designs, which is why it has taken more than a year, because as he changed what he wanted where, and how, I had to redraw the poncho design, and figure out how to make it work. Originally, it was going to have the zipper down the front, but he didn't want that, just the side zippers, and he didn't want his kangaroo hand warming pouch to be on the outside, or cut in half with a zipper.

4 inch wide bias binding will make a perfect 1 inch wide binding all of the way around the poncho, and be less likely to catch on branches, than the original idea of a serged edge.
1 inch binding, fleece poncho using industrial Singer 31-15 sewing machine, and compensating industrial foot with edge guide. I don't have a binder folder large enough to turn a 4 inch bias tape into a binding, so
1. Press 4" bias tape in half, wrong sides in.

2. Fold edges in to meet center crease, press.

3. Fold at center crease, and press again, creating a 1" wide binding tape.
(TIP- I rolled my binding around an empty toilet paper cardboard roll, to make it easier to control.)

4. Fold down 1" from end of bias tape, press. (To create finished end to tape, when sewn to project.)

5. Match the edge of the unfolded lengthwise binding (keep 1" end folded), with outside edge of poncho, starting at poncho center back hem.

6. Straight stitch to sew binding, 1 inch from poncho edge, along the first fold of binding, with right sides together. Stitch the binding all the way around the poncho, overlapping the end approximately 1 inch, so it matches up with the previously pressed 1 inch that was ironed folded to the wrong side. 

7. Fold binding around edge of poncho, stitch folded binding along edge, close to the edge fold, a scant inch from poncho edge. (Straight stitch shown, decorative stitch could be used, with a zigzag foot, on a zigzag machine.)

I planned to sew a cell phone pocket inside the hand warming pouch pocket, but since my hubby wears his cell phone in a clip on his belt, he decided he didn't need that, just the hand warming pouch, and he wants it on the inside of the poncho, not the outside. (I am actually going to try to make it reversible!)

I serged the binding right side to the right side of the poncho, meeting the edges, with my Sundia 5 thread safety stitch industrial serger, though this is not necessary, I just wanted to stabilize the fleece, to keep it front stretching out of shape as easily.

serging the binding to the fleece edge

Singer 31-15 Straight stitch 

Singer 31-15 straight stitching along the first fold, which makes a 1 inch wide binding, so it will be the same length on both sides, when completed. Notice I am kind of pinching the binding in the corner, as I approach the curved corner, to help the binding adjust to the curve, as I sew, so it won't need to be puckered, or folded.

I didn't pin the binding as I folded it around to the top, to topstitch the final binding in place, you may use washable gluestick, or basting tape, if you like to hold your binding in place as you sew it, to avoid the puckers & pokes of pins. I simply adjusted the binding as I sewed, and I used my mini flathead screwdriver, like an awl, to help adjust fullness, as I sewed around the curves.

I am using an industrial compensating foot, with a slight offset to the left, so that I could sew pretty evenly around the binding without needing pins, or basting tape. The flathead screwdriver is being used like a sewing awl, to keep my fingers away from the needle, but still be able to adjust the binding and fabric as I needed to.

Notice how the screwdriver is gently pushing the top layer of binding, so it will curve around the corner, without creating puckers in the binding.

The entire outside of the poncho is now bound. As I complete the next step, I will add to this tutorial. So far,the plan is to

1. Bind the kangaroo pouch

 

Add caption

 2. Stitch the pouch to the center front of the poncho. I sewed a double row of straight stitches to sew the pouch on, my hubby wanted it sewed to the inside of the poncho, not the outside, so he could warm his hands while hunting, without exposing his wrists to the cold. I did not get photos of sewing the pouch on, but sewed straight stitches across the top of the pouch, then the bottom of the pouch, and up the sides, partway, to the bottom of the pocket opening. Because the orange fabric is so stretchy, my stitching wound up looking pretty wonky, so I didn't photograph it, lol! I wish it had turned out perfectly parallel, especially since I sewed it using black thread. I would have preferred to have sewn this cool pouch to the center front OUTSIDE, but this was a gift for my hubby, so I made it his way.

3. Hood. I sewed the top seam of the hood and the top seam of the lining of the hood, with just a straight stitch, then topstitched down the 2 sides of the orange hood seam, as you can see in the photo below, looking at the top of the hood, you see 2 rows of black stitching.  I zigzagged the edges of the black lining seam, to avoid fraying, then sewed the lining to front of the hood. I made the lining deeper than the hood, so it would create a black edge around the hood, for the drawstring, which would match the binding around the edge of the poncho.

4. Use a small square of iron on interfacing, to the wrong side of the hood drawstring lining, to create stability for the grommets for the drawstring for the hood, leaving room for your seam, and using an awl, punch the hole for the grommet, then use a grommet tool to attach the grommet, making sure you put the smooth side on the right side of the fabric.

Note the tiny black metal grommet, to thread drawstring through. To make the ends of the drawstring not fall apart and fray, either tape them with clear tape, just like a shoe lace, or you can tie knots, or use a glue or fray check.  I do this before putting the ends of the cord through the grommet, so it is easier to thread it through. (My drawstring is gray, because I didn't have a long enough piece of black drawstring, lol)

Sewing tube for drawstring in hood- The drawstring is placed in there FIRST, then I sew the lining of the hood down, so I don't have to thread the drawstring through by hand. Notice that I am pushing the drawstring to the right, so I don't accidentally sew through it.

The hood is lined with this black woven silky fabric, that does not stretch, but the poncho's main orange fleecy fabric, does, so when I sewed the bottom of the hood lining to the bottom of the hood, I made sure to keep the stretchy fabric on the bottom, so the feed dogs could help ease the extra stretchy fabric, without causing my project to become skewed. Notice how I am using the fingers of my left hand, to help this excess fabric feed evenly. 

Another position photo showing excess fabric being controlled by my hand position, and by the extra stretchy fabric being on the bottom, so the feed dogs can feed it evenly. 

After stitching the bottom of the the hood and it's lining closed, I quartered the hood base, and the neckline, then matched those quarters, as I sewed, to ensure I got the hood properly positioned.

Matching the quarters (I put pins at each  quarter, but also marked with white chalk, to ensure even hood attachment.

Stitching the hood to the neckline, I turned the hood right side out, and tucked it inside the wrong side out poncho, when matching the quarters, and sewing it together.

5.


Link to free infinity scarf pattern, with hidden zipper pocket.

https://www.patternsforpirates.com/zipper-scarf-tutorial/