Men's Lined Hoodie

I made a new hoodie for my husband. The pattern is very similar to that of my own hoodie out of the same fabric - front zipper, big three-part hood, split kangaroo pockets, fully lined.

 

The outer fabric is a double knit in large houndstooth design in black and grey. I was gifted this fabric a couple of years ago and after I made my hoodie, which is a staple in my hiking wardrobe, I've been contemplating a similar one for husband as well. Recently, after making him a Burda longsleeve out of a nice viscose knit, I noticed that my pattern contained actually two versions - the one I made and a second version with a hood and a kangaroo pocket. And the hood was exactly the style I was looking for - with raised neckline and a central insertion.

The original pattern is actually a blouse, but there's nothing easier than adding a zipper in the center and turning a blouse into a zippered anorak. Because my outer fabric was kind of thin and prone to sticking to other fabrics, I opted for a full lining again. I've been into high quality heavy viscose knits lately, so we chose this gorgeous bright orange viscose to liven up and complement the dark color of the outer fabric.

As far as sizing - my husband is size 48 according to Burda size tables, and the long-sleeve from this pattern in size 48 fits him perfectly. For the hoodie I went a size and a half up - that is I chose size 50, but added additionally a bit of width to the body, to take into account, that this is a lined hoodie, to be worn over other blouses.

Pattern: Burda #131 from 12 / 2020

Size: 50 with with added length

Fabric: double knit; cotton viscose knit; rib knit

Time to make: two weeks

The hood is deep and wide enough, without being too roomy, I think it has a good balance.

The pockets are also deep and lined as well. I added rib knit at the pocket openings for stability. 

I also tried to do pattern matching, where possible, without being too obsessive.

We still haven't worn our similar hoodies in the mountains, I wonder how it would feel - cute or ridiculous :)

Denim Jacket for Gaby

Right after I finished my denim jacket in January I planned another one for Gaby and it was only a question of finding the right fabric before I made it. Of course, the second time cutting it and sewing it was much easier and, having had the experience of wearing my jacket all spring, I made some changes to the pattern.

The jacket is cropped and I had cropped it further for myself, as I am short. It is perfectly fine for my height, but as Gaby is taller, I went back to the original size 18 length and added further 2 cm below the waist. I also returned to the original widths, as mine proved to be a  tad too narrow for wearing more voluminous tops underneath, so hers is the original size 18 width too.

The pattern - Burda 109 from 02/2010, was on my Make Nine list, but I'm not sure if making it twice counts as two items from that list :) Anyway, it is a really well drafted tailored short denim jacket and i still would recommend it to anyone in the market for such a jacket.

Pattern: Burda #109 02/2010

Size: 18, modified

Fabric: denim

Time to make: one week

 

Another slight difference from my own version of the pattern, is that this time I used  denim with elastane, which I hope would add to the comfort value of the jacket; and, on quite a different note, I experimented with the decorative stitching. I had read, that one could use regular thread for decorative denim stitching, but threading it double from two bobbins into the same needle. Well, it works and was actually easier to sew that the thick cotton thread, sold for this specific aim - while my machine struggled with the tension of the thick thread, it took quite nicely the thinner thread, coming from two bobbins. And apart from better looking seams, this opens the possibility for cheaper and easier accessible decorative seams in numerous colors.

I heard from Gaby last night and she told me that the jacket fitted her beautifully and she already wore it to Uni together with a couple of her new blouses.

Denim Jacket

Ta-da! The first finished sewing item for 2022 and the first of my Make Nine - the denim jacket.

We were very lucky today, that the weather cleared a bit, the sun shone brightly and the temperatures rose from -10C in the morning to about 4C in the early afternoon, when we took these photos in the local park. Of course, we had a nice stroll afterwards, basking in the sun, and of course, I had my winter jacket on right after the last photo was taken :))

The pattern is Burda #109 02/2010, a cropped denim jacket, designed for shorter women (height 160 cm). I chose size 18 (S) and made a proper muslin first. Based on my muslin, I narrowed the back by 2 cm, shortened the sleeves by 2 cm and shortened the sleeve heads by 2 cm. 

I had a very small piece of denim fabric I took from the scraps bin almost for pennies last summer. I never imagined it would be enough for a jacket, I took it with the idea to make a mixed fabric denim jacket as I saw in Knip Mode last year. However, I was able to squeeze almost the entire thing out of this small unevenly cut piece (between 75 and 85 cm long, 150 cm wide), only the inner piece of the collar is cut from old jeans.

Another modification I made to the pattern - I made the yoke pieces single layer. I would have done it even if I wasn't short of fabric, as I think this is a warm weather piece and the double yoke out of denim would have been redundant. 

General first impression - a very good pattern, which I would definitely recommend. Because of the cold weather outside I am modelling it with jeans and boots, but I think it will be perfect with spring and summer dresses. 

Pattern: Burda #109 02/2010

Size: 18, modified

Fabric: denim

Time to make: two weeks

I definitely like the tailored design of the jacket and I think Gaby might like one for herself too, if she needs a light and cropped denim jacket.

A view from the park to the snow covered peaks of Vitosha:

Houndstooth Burda Hoodie

I finished a fairly complicated project - fully lined hoodie, using Burda #113 from 09 / 2020.

The outer fabric is a double knit in black and grey large houndstooth design, gifted to me by my sewing friend. Initially I intended to line only the hood, I even made a lining out of an old red T-shirt. However, but as the outer fabric turned to be not very thick and stable, I subsequently decided to line the entire hoodie, so I bought a piece of red knit lining and cut and sewed the lining, using the pattern for the outer hoodie.

I cut and sewed size 36, my usual size, with minor modifications:

• The hoodie is fully lined
• I shortened the sleeves by 5 cm
• I added ribbing to the openings of the pockets
• I lowered the front collar of the hood by 2 cm
• I added two pieces of the main fabric to the hem ribbing, as it is usually done in store-bought hoodies, thus avoiding the pulling of the ribbing at the area of the zipper.
  

About the pattern: I think it is well drafted, roomy for a hoodie without being too oversized. The hood is deep and big enough to cover the head without pulling. The pockets are deep and comfortable. All in all, I am very pleased with the final result, thanks to the lining the hoodie is very warm and ideal for my walks in the park in our spring weather.

Grey is definitely not my color and in all honesty, I would never have bought this fabric, but I think the red lining adds some interest and keeps the grey a bit away from my face.

The big deep kangaroo pockets are definitely one of my favourite features of this hoodie.

Pattern: Hoodie #113 from Burda 09 / 2020

Size: 36

Fabric: polyester double knit

Time to make: 10 days