It’s The Babe Hoodie sewing time!
Everybody loves a good hoodie. It’s the comfy cozy we all gravitate towards. The Babe Hoodie is comfortable and just your style! No more settling for whatever colors and sizes you can find in the store.
Get the Babe Hoodie here!
The coolest part about this pattern is that it comes with an incredible number of options. So whether you like your hoodie cropped, tunic length, sleeveless, pullover or zippered, The Babe’s gotcha covered.
So now that I’ve convinced you that this is a unquestionable necessity, how about we start sewing?!
Psssst! If this is your first knit project, make sure you pick up my Beginner’s Guide to Sewing Knit Apparel before you get started.
I will be doing a kangaroo pocket for the version in my tutorial. But if you’re doing the welt pockets go ahead and skip over the next section covering the kangaroo pockets and watch this video tutorial for the welt pockets instead.
If you’re doing the Kangaroo pockets and zip up version, you’re going to start by folding down your top edge here so that the “tails” are flush with the sides of the pocket.
Then go ahead and press and topstitch it into place.
Next, you’re going to fold in and press the side of the pocket by 1/2″.
Finally, fold down and press the top.
If you are doing a tunic length, you will also be folding and pressing up the bottom of the kangaroo pocket as illustrated in the written tutorial. I’m doing the jacket length, so the bottom of my pocket will remain unfinished.
Next, we’re going to lay out our front panel pieces and position our pocket pieces on top so that the raw center of the pockets is even with the raw center of the front pieces. The raw edges of the bottom will be even with one another as well.
With them positioned correctly, you’re going to go ahead and pin down the top and sides.
Then you will be topstitching the sides and tops into place. Make sure you don’t accidentally topstitch your openings closed. Is a surprisingly common “oops”.
This next part isn’t required but I like to baste stitch down the inside edges of the pocket and front bodice pieces to keep them in place when I install my zipper.
Bodice Assembly Time! First let’s start by attaching our front bodice pieces to our back bodice piece at the shoulder and side seams.
Next we’re going to prep our sleeves by folding them in half and sewing them down the raw edges with our 1/2″ seam allowance.
Then we’re going to have our bodice facing inside out and our sleeves pulled right side out.
Tuck one sleeve inside of the bodice and align the top notch with the shoulder seam of the bodice. Then align your sleeve seam with the side seam of the bodice. Evenly pin around the rest of the armscye.
Then repeat this with the other sleeve and sew them to the bodice.
With the sleeves sewn in, your bodice should look like this:
Next we’re going to work on our hood. Start by getting your main fabric pieces and laying one of the side panels down with the right side up towards you. Then align the bottom of the center piece (the edge with the notch) to the bottom of the back curve of the side panel.
An easy way to pin the center piece evenly across the side panel is to start by pinning once at the bottom, then once at the top. Then again at the bottom and again at the top. Over and over until they meet in the middle.
After you have pinned the center piece to your first side panel, you will go ahead and sew them together.
Next you’ll lay your second side panel down with the right side facing towards you. Repeat the process of attaching the center piece (now attached to the first side panel).
Repeat this entire process with your lining fabric.
Next we’re going to attach our main fabric hood pieces to our lining fabric hood pieces by nesting them inside of one another with the right sides together. Start by aligning the two seams running down the center.
Then pin across the rest of the front of the hood pieces. If you are using a serger, stop serging just before you get to the tabs at the bottom of the hood. I’m pointing to where you want to stop in the picture below.
Then use your sewing machine to sew the rest of the seam. This will make a little L starting from where you stopped with the serger, down past the corner and over to the edge. DO NOT SEW DOWN THE FRONT OF THE TAB. You will leave that edge raw to match your front panel pieces.
After you have sewn your L, get some scissors and trim down your fabric so it’s not so bulky.
Then turn the hood right side out and press out the tabs so they have crisp corners.
It is at this point that you can go ahead and attach grommets or sew in button holes. Then topstitch a casing for your drawstring. If you aren’t sure how to sew a buttonhole you can find a fabulous tutorial here and if you’d like to learn how to install grommets, watch this Professor Pincushion YouTube video for instruction.
Finally, we need to attach our hood to the bodice.
Start by aligning the three center back notches – one from the main fabric center hood piece, one from the lining fabric center hood piece and one from the back panel piece. Pin them together.
Then pin the ends of the hood and bodice together and evenly pin the rest of the hood around the neck opening of the bodice.
Serge or sew the hood on to attach it. And lookie here what you have so far!
We’re ready to add our cuffs and our zipper. Pretty soon you are going to have a brand spankin new Babe Hoodie.
Start by folding your waistband in half lengthwise with the wrong sides together.
Then evenly attach it to the bottom of your bodice with the right sides together. Then serge or sew them together.
Now next is the beloved zipper installation. Woot woot! If you’re like me though and your zipper ended up being too long, you’re going to have to shorten it before you get to the fun stuff. To shorten a zipper do the following:
First measure from the zipper stop and up the teeth the desired length of your zipper and mark it.
Next open the zipper and get yourself some zipper clippers. You can find these in most sewing/craft stores. Put on some eye protection and clip off the teeth above your markings that span about 1″. Do this for both sides.
Now go ahead and trim the zipper about 1″ above the teeth.
Next we need to add a stop to the top. If you don’t have actual replacement zipper stops then get some thread and make 4 or 5 loops around the top where you want the zipper to stop. If you have a craft store close by grab yourself some replacement zipper stops.
Then use some pliers to attach them right above where your zipper teeth now end.
And just like that you’re zipper is ready to go!
Now’s the part we’ve all been waiting for! The zipper installation. Watch the video below to see how to install your zipper with the included zipper facing.
Note: If you are really worried about getting this zipper right feel free to omit the facing for your first go around.
Lastly we’re going to attach our cuffs by first folding them in half with right sides together.
Then folding them down with the wrong sides together. This will give us a tube with only the right side exposed on both the inside and outside. Then attach them to the ends of the sleeves.
Now, take some pictures of your new hoodie and share it with us on social media! #babehoodie