A Hoodie For Izabella

A couple years ago I made a popsicle hoodie for Izabella.

Being that she was just over 1 at the time, she has since grown out of it. So this holiday season I decided to make her a new one...with owls! It came out super cute and here's how to make one for the little one in your life if you are interested. These can be made for adults too!

Supplies:
+ 1 hoodie (I try to get it at least 1 size too big so it lasts longer)
+ 3/4 yard of fabric (1yd for adults)
+ Thread (matching or contrasting and as many colors as you like)
+ Sharpie or Chalk
+ Iron set on cotton
+ Scissors
+ Cookie Cutters (or something to trace in desired shape)
**Please note that this is shown with a size 4-6 hoodie.
***Click on the pictures for a bigger version

1. Fold your hoodie in half length wise and lay your fabric out flat. Lay hoodie on top of fabric. Trace around just the hoodie with about 1 inch extra fabric for seam. (I used a Sharpie so you can see my lines, but you can use whatever works for you). I also try to place the hoodie at least 2 inches from the cut edge.


2. Cut along the line you have created and follow all the way to end of the fabric. Stitch the top and backside of the hoodie leaving the front open.


3. Open the hood sewn hood and press all edges in approx. 1/2 an inch.


4. If there is a draw string in your hoodie, remove it at this time.

5. Line up center seam of created hood and hoodie's hood. Make sure the backside of your fabric is facing the hoodie so your fabric shows. Pin the created hood in place.

6. When you get to the flat/bottom of the hoodie you can either fold the extra fabric up or trim it so there is just a little folded under. Pin this as well (Sorry! I forgot to take a picture of this part)

7. Sew along the entire edge of the hoodie and the bottom. You will want to sew pretty close to the edge. You can do either a decorative stitch with 2 different thread colors, or a straight stitch with 1 color...the choice is yours!

8. With the remaining fabric you will need to cut out "patches". I'm not very good at free-handing these types of things so I use cookie cutters or simple shapes I find online. You will need to cut out 4 shapes for a kid's hoodie and 6 for an adult's. I try to line my shapes up so the patch is a little different and features the fabric well...I also make the one for the front of the hoodie a little different from the rest.

9. Pin 3 of the patches to the back of the hoodie. I like to stagger them and turn them in different directions.

10. Pin 1 patch on the front of the hoodie. I like to do the left side, right where the heart would be.


11. Last, sew around the edge of each patch. You can do the same color stitch and color combo as before or completely switch it up! For this one I chose the same color combo, but since I'm working with flannel I decided to go with a zigzag stitch to protect the edges from fraying as much.


12. Clip all of your extra threads at this time. You can also try to thread the hood's string back in at this time (it depends on how precise you were sewing your fabric into the hood)

13. You're done! I haven't given Izabella her hoodie yet but when I do, I'll be sure to post some adorable pictures of her wearing it for you guys to see.

The Gift of Giving

Less than 1 week 'til Christmas and I've been a busy little bee! This holiday season I tried to buy as many handmade gifts as possible. Also, when people asked me what I wanted I gave them links to things on Etsy. We'll see how well that works out :).

One of the reasons I really like buying handmade is because you know that purchase really matters to the person you are buying it from and it could actually keep them eating for another day.

Here are some of the goodies I bought for friends this year. I wish I had bought more handmade gifts, but some people are just incredibly hard to shop for!

This first little necklace is for my friend Linda. It's one of a kind (which makes it even better in my book!) and made by Envisage. I've already given it to her and she absolutely loved it!


Next on the list is my brother, David. He's one of those guys that loves all things manly...fishing, hunting, off-roading and so on. You are probably thinking to yourself, "What the heck do you get someone like that and still have it be handmade?" Well, dear reader, you get him soap made from beer, of course! David will be getting soaps made from PBR, Guiness, Newcastle and Sam Adams. They are all from Dennis Anderson and I have a feeling he's going to laugh his ass off when he opens his gift.



Last on the list is my friend Michelle. Michelle is one of those girls that's "a dude's dude". She loves riding her fixed gear bike, kid robot, listening to any music she can get her hands on and the majority of the year she lives in a van full of guys. What do you get someone like this? You get them a zipper pouch that's made from recycled bike tire innertubes that also has a sweet print to it, naturally. This pouch is made by Urchin Bags and is sick as, well, (insert obsene adjective here). I was so excited when I found this I couldn't wait to order it!


What are some of the handmade gifts you are giving this year?