The Very Soft Gray Hoodie

Outerwear might just be my favorite everyday garment to sew. It presents challenges and learning opportunities, and one jacket or coat will get worn more often than a single dress or shirt would. Thus, I find outerwear very worthwhile to make - especially when you happen upon the perfect fabric as I did with this hoodie.

The fabric is a heathered gray french terry that I found in the bargain fabrics at Wal-Mart. It is literally the softest french terry I have ever felt! Originally I bought two yards of this fabric and about a yard of that became a shirt for my sister. Then I decided this fabric also needed to be turned into something for me. It was just so soft and wonderful to work with!  So, back to Wal-Mart I went, and another yard of fabric came home with me.

I needed a new hoodie, as my old favorite hoodie died this year on the World Race, so a hoodie is what I knew this fabric needed to become. 

However, just a plain gray hoodie was not very appealing to me, so I decided to make it a little more colorful by using scraps of a teal and gray striped knit (left over from this shirt) for some fun contrasting details.

The hem band, sleeve cuffs, hood facing, pocket bindings, and shoulders are all made out of the teal and gray knit and I couldn't be happier with the result!

I made this hoodie out of the same pattern I used to make my brother's new camo jacket, just with a few adjusts for fit and my personal preferences. I added around three inches of length to the body of the jacket, raised the armscye slightly and lowered the sleeve cap, widened the shoulders by about an inch (which I probably didn't need to do), drafted a new pocket pattern, and cut the shoulders of the hoodie separate from the torso to accommodate my contrasting fabric. The resulting garment fit perfectly and was just what I wanted it to be!

Soft, pretty, and warm enough for some of the mild winter days we've had this week. This hoodie has already been worn plenty and I think it will last me for several years to come!