A second Halifax Hoodie
Whilst i have recently blogged about multiple uses of patterns, i have a number of patterns that haven’t had as much use as i expected. If a pattern is only used once, you are adding £10 – £25 to the cost of that one garment. So i am on a mission right now to re-use some of the patterns that i thought would become staples, but haven’t.
Halifax Hoodie, by Hey June Handmade, is one such pattern. OK. i was attracted by the reference to the Yorkshire town (even though i suspect that it was the Canadian version of Halifax that inspired the name), and i have a similar McCalls pattern that has had multiple uses, and many, many wears across the multiple garments.
I’ve used the pattern once, here. Now this garment has two problems. First, it is made from really thick fleece, better suited to an outdoor garment than an indoor garment, and the sleeves are a bit short.
I dug it out from the bottom of the wardrobe and gave it a test run before starting another version. It’s great if i need to keep going out into the garden on a cold day, and the shorter sleeves are a bonus if i am doing a lot of hand washing or washing up. So good for ‘domestic’ days then. Note that Ann!
So version 2 is made of slightly lighter weight french terry, from minervacrafts, and has longer sleeves. They are still 7cm shorter than the pattern; i don’t know how version 1 came to be that bit too short, as my notes say that the sleeves were shortened by 6.5cm……
This top is very much intended to be worn now, indoors. In fact, it nearly didn’t happen, as i was thinking that i really didn’t need another sweatshirt as i put the fabric into my shopping basket…… But with the prospects of probably 3 – 4 months indoors this winter, sewing keeps me busy and happy, so go for it! The funnel neck doesn’t work very well with coats anyway.
As noted in my previous Halifax post, there are very few markings on the pattern; marking all mid-points is advisable. I decided against using any contrasts, mainly because i had specially bought the blue fabric, so i might as well use it! Most of it is made on the overlocker, although i was careful to tack any round seams before overlocking, as there are multiple layers of fabric that could slip out of place and leave holes. I also ‘set in the sleeves’ rather than flat sewing them, as the pattern suggests. If you regularly read my blog, you will know that i often do this. I think they hang better when set in, and perhaps unusually, i quite like setting in sleeves!
I haven’t used a butterfly motive on anything for ages – years in fact – but i still have a few in stock, purchased from a stall on the market which has now closed. There’s one on the pocket, and one on the left cuff. I had some dark blue cord in stock too. I bought it, and then didn’t use it for this dress, five years ago. It may not be the permanent cord tie, but it will be fine for this winter.
And finally, whilst on a run of trying to make a well fitting hat, i used the left over fabric to make a third K3543 beanie hat. Given my only ventures outdoors these days are to do a country walk, it’s good use of left over fabric.
One Week, One Pattern
Me Made May 2016
Me Made May 2015
Simplicity Competition
Sew Over it Patterns
all my own work by ann 