A New Hoodie for Me
Michelle Burke
My hoodies were falling apart. This is a problem because I like to wear a hoodie in the morning and evening when the house is a little cooler. I had two hoodies, one had a broken zipper and both had holes in them. Instead of buying a new hoodie though, I decided to make one and I am so glad I did. I made the Sol Hoodie by Jamie Christina.
I was attracted to the Sol Hoodie for its use of ribbon as a trim, the thumb holes in the sleeve cuff and the option of lining the hood. It was a great pattern to make with easy-to-follow instructions that include diagrams. I added a lining to the body of the hoodie because I used light-weight knits and I wanted to make sure it would keep me warm. (The lining of the body was my own addition and not an option with this the pattern.)
I wanted to showcase the Tula Pink Sprout in Midnight ribbon that I chose, so I used a dark gray heather knit for the hoodie, a light gray heather knit for the lining of the body and a solid aqua knit for the hood lining.
I changed things up a bit with how I added the ribbon trim. The instructions have the trim sewn into the seam with the zipper as well as the front edge seam of the hood; this would mean that part of my ribbon wouldn't be visible because it would be within the seam allowance. I really loved the ribbon I chose and I wanted all of it showing, so I added the ribbon after I sewed those seams and placed it about 1/8" away from the seams.
It was easy to top-stitch the ribbon into place and I liked the extra stability those seams added to the lining layers.
I don't use the thumb holes all the time, but they are great for chilly morning walks with the dog.
When I am not using them, I just tuck the lower half of the cuff up into the sleeve and it wears like a normal hoodie without thumb holes.
As some of you may know, I have two daughters, one who is in college and the other is finishing her senior year of high school. When I said that I was going to make myself a new hoodie, both responded with, "Why not just buy one???" I told them that it would be fun to make one and that it would be my very own - no one else would have one exactly like it. Their responses involved some slight rolling of the eyes and shrugging of the shoulders. Once my hoodie was finished, both my daughters said, "Mom, I really like your hoodie!!!" :) I love showing my daughters that handmade doesn't mean unattractive, it can actually look better than what you buy in the store and the quality is usually better too!
Have fun sewing!