Given the cooler temps this time of year, I thought I should do some cold weather sewing. Here is my experience in sewing a hoodie.

Now I’ve never really been a hoodie person. It’s because of the boxy nature of hoodies. From what I’ve seen in ready-to-wear hoodies, they’re a big rectangle with sleeves and a hood.

Personally, they just look so unflattering. I’m all for comfort and being cozy, but I don’t want to look like I’m wearing a big sack.

So if I am going to be sewing a hoodie, it needs to look good. So I had to find a pattern that had shape created by seaming. I found 2 such patterns. They are the Summit Peak Hoodie by New Horizons Designs and the Pacific Pullover by Greenstyle Creations.

Summit Peak Hoodie by New Horizons Designs

The Summit Peak Hoodie comes as a pullover or full zipper option. It also has inseam pockets. This pattern has raglan sleeves.

Raglan sleeves are sleeves that extend all the way up to the neckline. This creates extra space under the arm which allows for a greater range of motion for your arms, as well as room for layering. It also results in a more sporty look.

This is a very popular pattern in several of my Facebook Sewing groups. The different pieces allow for the mixing of patterns and colours. I would definitely say that this sewing pattern is a good staple pattern to have.

Pacific Pullover by Greenstyle Creations

The Pacific Pullover is a very versatile pattern. It offers options for a pullover as well as a quarter zip pullover. There are both inseam as well as side pockets. You can make it long-sleeved or sleeveless. You also have the option for a hood, collar or crew neck.

The Pacific Pullover offers set-in sleeves in which the sleeve goes up to the shoulder line, thereby creating a shoulder seam. This creates a more sleek, tailored look with less bulk.

I love it when a pattern has so many options – I don’t feel bad about buying such a pattern as I really feel that I am getting my money’s worth with all these options.

Okay, so now that I had these 2 patterns, it was time that I get started sewing a hoodie.

Hoodie #1

My first hoodie was the Summit Peak. As we were in the middle of a cold snap here on the west coast, I decided I needed something to keep me warm.

To keep me warm, I decided to use both Super Plush and Velvet Plush fabrics from So Sew English. I’m not very good with mixing patterns, so I kept it simple – solid black paired with red and back buffalo plaid.

I sewed up this hoodie pretty much as instructed, without any modifications. I was quite happy with how it turned out. The plush made the hoodie somewhat bulky, but that is to be expected when using thicker fabrics. I must say, however, that the plush keeps you nice and warm. It was perfect for a snowy day.

I found the hood to be a bit on the small side. It’s a bit tight on my head if I wear it. Perhaps a fabric with more stretch than the plush would alleviate that but I think a prefer a slightly bigger hood.

Hoodie #2

The second hoodie that I made was the Pacific Pullover. For this hoodie, I wanted something similar so I made the pullover without the quarter zip.

I chose cotton French Terry for this hoodie. These fabrics were also from So Sew English. There are a few different kinds of French Terry. I used a cotton-based French Terry which is more of a medium-weight fabric and has some structure.

Again, I chose to make it two-toned. I love how the sleeve consists of 2 pieces so that I can add contrast there as well. Solid colours definitely make this hoodie look more sporty.

The hoodie in this particular pattern is one layer with a facing, however, I chose to do 2 layers so that I could add the second colour. Therefore I did not use the facing pattern piece. I did like the fit of the hood. It’s bigger than the Summit Peak hood but not oversized or overwhelming on me.

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I also added thumbhole cuffs. A number of brands incorporate thumb holes, including lululemon and Nike. It really adds a nice touch to the hoodie. Read my post on how to sew thumbhole cuffs.

Hoodie #3

Okay, so by the time I got to sewing my third hoodie, I considered myself to have a good grasp of hoodie construction. I have 2 good base patterns to work with. Now I can add the aspects that I like to make it fit my needs and preference.

This version uses the Summit Peak Hoodie as a base. I wanted the raglan sleeves as I felt that it featured my fabric for the sleeves better than inset sleeves.

For this hoodie, I used lighter-weight French Terry. This resulted in a nice, light-weight coverup that would be great for cool evenings in the summer or as a transition piece in spring or fall.

I got even more adventurous with mixing patterns for this one. I spent a lot of time looking at pictures of examples in order to find not only 3 coordinating fabrics but also how and where I would use them.

Incorporating patterned fabric in French Terry makes it a prettier, less-sporty garment which is more my style.

I made a couple of modifications to this version to suit my own needs.

Although using the Summit Peak as a base, I wanted the size of the hood to be that of the Pacific Pullover so I used the Pacific pattern to extend the height of the hood and I also changed the curve down the front in order to accommodate the extension. I also lowered the collar part so that it didn’t come up so high at my chin and extended the ends to that I could create an overlapping front.
I added piping by the arms. This modification can be found in the New Horizons Blog. To be honest, I didn’t even know that these modifications or hacks as they call them existed until a reference on their Facebook Page. I think they should add a link to the product page. Anyway, the piping adds a really nice touch to the garment. It is also another way to incorporate one of the fabrics that you use.

I really love how this hoodie turned out. I never really considered myself a hoodie person but now I do!

Tips for Sewing a Hoodie

While I love using my serger for most of my sewing, you can’t use a serger for everything in these patterns. The inseam pocket construction requires a sewing machine.

When sewing with knit fabrics on my sewing machine, I use the lightning stitch, also known as the stretch stitch. I also increased the stitch length to 5 which was certainly helpful when having to pick out a mistake!

You could sew the entire hoodie using your sewing machine. However, once the pockets are done, you can use a serger if you prefer.

I have a number of blog posts that include helpful tips for sewing a hoodie.

How to Sew Thumb Hole Cuffs – this contains written instructions, as well as a photo tutorial that follows the GreenStyle YouTube instructions.
How to Sew a Drawstring – it’s easier than you think!
All About Grommets – if you’re going to have a drawstring, you’re going to want to add grommets. Here are the tools needed.
All About Aglets – these are the little metal or plastic things on the ends of your drawstring.

Want to remember all this on sewing a hoodie? Be sure to save this to your favourite Pinterest board.