Charlie Hoodie by Two Stitches
I suggested that i might make something for my great niece from the left over fleece from my Bianca coat. So i made a Charlie Hoodie by Two Stitches. I also bought this pattern at the Sewing Bee Live Show, from Guthrie Ghani. I had never heard of Two Stitches, but it is an collaboration included the Eternal Maker, of whom i had heard. It’s another pattern that will last for several years as she grows her way to being 5 years old!
I’m grateful to someone at SewBrum who told me that 6 month old children don’t wear dresses. As long as they are rolling and crawling, dresses aren’t practical. So she gets a Hoodie instead of a dress.
As the picture suggests, the pattern delivers exactly what it says ‘on the tin’. Actually, there is a difference. The pattern has in-seam pockets on the diagnal seams, but I decided that a 6 month old has very little to put in her pockets, so i’d miss them out of this one! With the exception of the centre front seam, which it says to press open, i thought i would whizz this up on the overlocker, but i was quite surprised how much of it i chose to do on the machine instead. I sewed all the front seams in the machine, and i attached the hood to the body on the machine. There is more control over sewing small seams, precision work, and indeed, sometimes thick lumps of fabric, on the machine. It probably took just over an hour to sew.
But this version was rather too ‘unisex’ for a little girl, so off i went to the market for some pink ric rac. And then i found some pretty pink smillie buttons.
That’s better, isn’t it? And all for about 50p, given that the fabric is all ‘spare’!
I look forward to making many more, with or without pockets. There are a lot of child friendly fleeces out there, but i see the 3 part front, and hood with gusset as being a bit of a limitation for anything with a large to medium sized pattern. Half a teddy bear head isn’t going to look cool mid hoodie. So i think that the approach will be to use plain fabric and decorate, or colour block. A mid season version in ponte roma would work as well.
The pattern also comes in tunic length, so it would be possible to create something to wear in other seasons with leggings, in a lighter-weight drape fabric.
A success i think. I must look at other Two Stitches patterns.
One Week, One Pattern
Me Made May 2016
Me Made May 2015
Simplicity Competition
Sew Over it Patterns
all my own work by ann 