Lexi Hoodie Sew Along - Tips Week 1

Hi peeps I hope you’re going to love making this hoodie with me - I am so enjoying the pattern! Here’s a few things I’ve thought of that I didn’t put in the video, and also some of the things I said in the video, all in the one spot so you don’t have to scroll through the vid looking for them.

The designer of the hoodie, Melly, is also running a sew along on her Facebook page, so I am trying to include things different to what she is saying so that we don’t just say all the same things.

If your pattern has not yet arrived in the mail please let me know sarah@sarahfielke.com and I will get you started on cutting out. There’s a lot of cutting out to be done before you can start sewing so you will be busy I promise!

Fabric

For a hoodie the same as Melly’s, you will need a good selection of low volume prints, as well as brights with good contrast for the star. There is a lot of piecing in the panels so make sure to take your time cutting everything out carefully so you have matching squares and triangles! 

If you have a Sarah Fielke half square ruler, you can absolutely use that for cutting your triangles - you will need to cut 3” strips fro your fabrics. 

We are a way away from the putting in the lining, but I wanted you know what I’m using. I have almost finished my first hoodie ( will post a pic I promise!) and I have used a sateen backing fabric for the lining of it. There are some pros and cons to that! It’s lovely and slidey to get on and off for a start - the hoodie has no stretch, so that is something to consider. The pro for me would be that it is pretty slippery to piece together, so if this is your first garment (and I know it is for a lot of you) 

Sizing

There has been a fair bit of chat in Melly’s Facebook group about choosing the size for your hoodie. When you measure for your size, Melly recommends that you use the finished garment measurements not the body measurements on the pattern, as those include the ease. Measure yourself, and then use those measurements to help you choose the size from the garment measurement chart. 

I am an Australian size 10 to 12, and I am making a medium. The sleeves and length of the garment are perfect on me. I have fairly big boobs (TMI? Hahaha just trying to help) and the medium is more fitted on my chest so thats something to take into consideration when you’re making yours.

If you’re unsure, I would make a muslin to check - if you’re a dressmaking newbie, that means cutting the lining pieces out and sewing them together from a scrap fabric like muslin or calico. Then you can try it on and change your size if you need to without wasting your expensive patchwork fabrics. 

Using the pattern

Quite a lot of people have let me know that you haven’t ever made a garment before. In answer to some of those questions - 

NO you do not need an overlocker. This hoodie can be made with your regular sewing machine. I took my stitch length down to a 2.2 on my Bernina for seam security.

NO you should not cut the pattern out from the big paper sheets. Dress making wisdom will have you make another pattern by tracing the paper pattern out from tracing paper. That way you always have the other sizes to work from if you make another in the future, and also the tracing paper is easier to pin to fabric when you are cutting out your pattern. Full disclosure. Do I do this? No. :)

YES I would take a highlighter and highlight the pattern layout pages and stitching instructions that are relevant to your size. As the pattern is so inclusive in its sizing, there are a lot of different layout pages and its easy to look at the wrong one.

Different versions

I am making three hoodies - well four now because my friend Flo just came for the weekend and she wants one too. 

I have been asked several times wether people could put a different block into the patchwork or make the squares a different size. The answer to that is absolutely, when you watch the video you will see that I am making the hoodie once to Melly’s instructions, once with large pieces of embroidery and vintage sheets, and once in a whole cloth version with appliqué on it. 

All you need to do is work out what size panel you need for the size you are making. Each square is 2 1/2” finished, so count the number of squares across or down, x by 2 1/2” and add 1/2” for your seam, then you can make up a panel or cut a piece of whole fabric to that size.

If you are making the whole cloth appliqué version that I am providing to my StitchyMites, there will be a post for you TOMORROW on Smites about how to prepare your pieces for next week, and getting your bias tape ready to go. You will need your fabric, your interfacing and your bias tape fabric or fusible bias tape all set up and ready to go to start the appliqué in week 2. You absolutely could do this version with fusible appliqué and a machine blanket stitch.

Feel free to ask me any questions via the comments below or by email! Please remember that I did NOT design this pattern, so if you have any issues with the pattern itself (I don’t think you will, its very well written and I have’t found any problems in making mine) please contact Melly via her website. 

Have fun peeps and please feel free to join my Facebook group Sarah Fielke Quilts and post your hoody progress there! I usually don’t allow posts about other people's patterns in there as its just for people making my patterns, but this time if special! :)

Or you can add questions, comments and upload your progress below in the comments section.

And I think everyone would love to see your hoodies coming together. Just search Sarah Fielke Quilts in your Facebook search bar, ask to join and then answer BOTH questions AND agree to the group rules for entry (the only way I can screen spam accounts.

Yay hoodies! Off you go and cut!

Sarah x