Monday, January 6, 2014

How to tailor a hoodie

Hey, a post that's finally informational and useful and also not a recipe!

I live in hoodies. I regularly wear four and I want more. One of these hoodies is almost perfect, except for one fatal flaw--it doesn't fit quite right.

Lots of people like their clothes to be roomy because they find them to be comfortable, but I don't like to swim in my clothes. This is a problem when you're a size 1 because 90 percent of hoodies will be a little on the big side.

The thing about this hoodie is that it was made to be baggy. Really?

So I'm going to liposuction it.

I haven't used this bad boy in so long, I forgot where the on switch was.


Aforementioned hoodie. Who in their right mind would make a hoodie that FLARES OUT at the ends!? 


Put your hoodie on inside out. Figure out how much you need to take in by pinching the fabric on either side. Making sure the zipper stays in the middle and the side seam is in line with your side, pin to your shape.


If you want to make sure that you did a decent job (especially if you're a novice like me) you can find a hoodie that fits well and compare the pinning you've done to the shape of the other hoodie.


Sew a line that connects all your pins.


Before you cut any fabric at all, check your work. I left just a little bit of give on the sides so it wouldn't be skin-tight.


Cut the excess fabric leaving about a finger's width from the stitch. Normally you would press this seam flat but because I don't have an iron, I'm going to guide the seam under the foot making sure it's super flat.


But before I actually sewed that seam, I tested some of my zigzag stitches on my machine using the excess fabric to see which one I thought would work best.


So many choices. So many options that I will never use. Ever.


My sewing isn't the neatest, but it's functional. Here's the finished stitching on the outside.


And now all your hoodies can fit you. This is especially useful if you're like me and you'll buy a $5 clearance hoodie even if it's a little too big for you.