Fluffy Unicorn Hoodie

I wanted to make something for my boyfriend for winter, but a scarf is just too simple and gloves are way too tricky. Then one day at home he freaked out about my sister's fluffy hoodie. So it was decided, he was getting a hoodie.

The unicorn print may be a bit weird for a guy, but come on, we all know who is really going to wear the hoodie....

(I apologize for my carpet, which is littered with fluff in some of the photos. That is the one down side of fluffy fabric, it leaves fluffs everywhere!)

Fabric - estimate how much you will need based on how big the hoodie is going to be. My boyfriend is quite tall, so I got about 2 meters of fluffy unicorns. If you want to line your hoodie, you will also need lining fabric (I chose grey, to make the hoodie a teensy bit more manly) and ribbing fabric for the cuffs and hem.

Thread - choose your thread based on the colour of your fabric. I used white and grey.

Scissors.

Measuring tape.

Pins - lots of pins.

Sewing machine.

A pattern - you could use a pattern from the store or borrow a hoodie that fits well and use that as your guide.

Cut out all your pieces. Use your pattern (hoodie or store bought) to guide you: pin it down on your fabric using pins and cut out the shape. I used a store bought pattern for the sleeves as they can be quiet tricky to get right.

You should have a front piece, back piece, 2 sleeves and 2 hood pieces.

Cut out your lining pieces as well. I only lined the hood, so I cut two hood pieces.

You should also have 2 cuff pieces and a hem band from the ribbing fabric. My ribbing fabric was too short for the hem, so I cut two pieces that I sewed together to form a band.

Pin whatever you want to sew together before you sew it! Don't just start sewing, it won't come out right, believe me.

Sew a dart in the top of the sleeves so that it will sit nicely on the shoulders:

Fold the sleeve in half and pin it, right sides together, to form a little dart where the shoulder will be. Then sew and cut off the threads.

Then pin the sleeves to the front piece, right sides together, at the arm hole and sew.

Do the same with the back piece.

Don't sew the sleeves closed yet, only sew it at the arm hole.

Your should end up with a circle of four pieces attached to each other.

To stop the neck from unraveling and stretching, sew a ring around the neck just to help keep everything in place and keep the neck the same size.

Now pin, right sides together, and sew the sleeves and the front and back pieces together. You want to sew each side together in one motion so that the "armpit" is secure and doesn't unravel.

Pin the hood pieces, right sides together, and sew the back of the hood together. Do the same with the lining.

Pin the hood and the lining, right sides together, at the front where the face will be and sew them together.

Flip it so that it is right side out.

If you want to, you can sew a border around the face part of the hood. It looks pretty and will help to give it a bit of structure.

Sew the base together before sewing it onto the hoodie.

Remember the neck that you had to sew a ring around to keep it from stretching and unraveling? I did that a bit too late, so the neck ended up being bigger than the base of the hood. But you can just position it so that the hood is still centre, pin right sides together, and sew. It will still look fine and if it is dead centre, will look planned.

Pin and sew the cuff and hem pieces to form rings. You should have two small rings and one big ring.

Pin the cuffs to the sleeves, right sides together, and sew. If the cuff is smaller than the opening of the sleeve, don't worry, it should be. Just stretch the cuff when sewing it together, then it will help to make the sleeve smaller at the wrist.

Pin the hem band to the base of the hoodie, right sides together, and sew.

If you just want a basic hoodie, then you are done!

I added a pocket and some extra ribbon around the sides.

You have yourself a hoodie!

Look at that smile!