Cake That Lasts

Doesn't sound too delicious, right? Fortunately this is cake you won't have to eat :) Right after I made a hoodie for Stef, I bought fabric to make another hoodie for myself. I wanted to see how I could adapt a men's pattern into a women's pattern and I thought my wardrobe could do with a sporty casual zip hoodie. The fabric is a petrol sweater jersey (looks blue in the pics, but it isn't!) with a fluffy inside. I lined the hood with a slinky knit, with a sort of random black and white houndstooth pattern.





I used the same Fehmarn pattern from the Germand brand Farbenmix, but I traced a size S. I adapted the pattern by making the armholes and sleeveheads smaller, taking in the shoulders, making an armhole dart to create a bit more shape at the front, and I curved the sideseams at the waist. The shoulders are still a bit wide, but I'm not sure a hoodie is supposed to be super fitted anyway. The armhole darts are a teensy bit too high. Funny, because I did some careful fitting although the hood was not attached at that point. I guess the hood pulls it a bit backward and thus the dart moves up.



An improvement I made in comparison with Stef's hoodie is lengthening the lining at the front so it doesnt stop so abruptly. I like the seams on the front that show through. I've gotten better at neat and straight seams and matching them up at zippers and it's nice to notice that. And I used binding strips of fabric at the pocket entrance, instead of just folding over the fabric like the instructions say. I've also managed to topstitch the yoke seams at front and back and the cuffs without stretching the fabric. Thanks to TanitIsis' tip of releasing presser foot tension!



I think this hoodie turned out exactly what it was supposed to be. A casual hoodie, for sundays at home or walks in the park with the dog. Cake, if you will :) I'm not completely sure about the combination of the petrol and the lining. I mean, I like the effect, but I'm not sure it's entirely my style. Maybe a bit too young? (Oh god, did I just say I'm too old for something? Aaaggh...) And black and white around my face might not be the best idea. But it's comfortable and I hope that with the extra attention I paid to finishing techniques, I've also made it durable. In short, cake that lasts!