Comfy Cowl Hoodie Sew Along – Day 6

Hi everyone! Today is the last day of the Comfy Cowl Hoodie sew along. We will sew the hood on, the cuffs and band, and talk about the finishing touches. After today, you have until the October 30^th to sew your hoodie and post photos on Facebook and Instagram with #comfycowlhoodiesal. Read all about our sponsors, the contest and prizes in the Introduction post.

Cuffs and Band

Alright! Now that we sewed in our arms and sides, your hoodie is ready for the cuffs and band. The method is exactly the same for both and you will see it’s really a quick and easy one.

First, fold the cuffs in half lengthwise, right side to right side. Stitch or serge using a 3/8’’ seam allowance. If you are using a serger, press the seam to one side, if you are using a regular sewing machine, press the seam open. Put aside.

Fold your waistband the same way, right side to right side, to create a large loop. Press like you did for the cuffs.

Fold the cuffs and band in half, wrong side to wrong side, using the fold line mark on your pattern pieces. It will create two small loops. Press.

Before moving on to the next step, just to be safe, try the cuff on your model’s hand to make sure that the cuff will pass easily. This is especially important on very small children (between newborn and size 3-4) and if you are using a fabric with less stretch. Also, if you happen to have added length to the bands and cuffs from the start, it will be the time to make any adjustments necessary.

Repeat for the band and create a large loop. Press.

You might get the impression that the cuffs and bands are really small compared to the openings of the sleeves and body but don’t worry! If you used a knit fabric with the appropriate stretch it will fit just fine. For more details about the proper fabrics to use, read DAY 2.

Next, find the quarter points on your cuffs and band and mark them with pins. On the smaller sizes, you can get away with marking the halves instead of the quarters.

Repeat the process to find the sleeves and body quarter points. Mark with pins. Just like the cuffs, you can get away with marking the halves on the sleeve instead of the quarters

 

Working from the right side of the sleeve, place one folded cuff over the end of one sleeve and align the raw edges, matching the pins. Because of the way the cuff is folded, there is no right and wrong side so it really doesn’t matter which way you put it. The only thing you will want to worry about is to match the cuff seam with the sleeve seam. Once it is all pined, have a peek inside to make sure your seam is properly aligned.

Gently stretch the cuff over the arm opening while sewing.  Turn the cuff right way out and press carefully. Because the ribbing is smaller than the arm, your seam might get a little wavy. Don’t worry if this happens, it will get better with a good press and steam.

Repeat all the steps of the cuff to attach the waistband. Again, once it is sewn, you might see some waves at the seam. Press the waistband down carefully with a lot of steam.

You can see on my photo that my fabric is still a little wet from the steam! Once it is pressed, the waves won’t come back after washes.

Sewing the hood and finishing touches

Before we sew the hood in you will need to decide if you want to add a drawstring or a faux drawstring. The instructions to add a drawstring are not included in the child pattern because of safety issues. Most countries have regulations about drawstring on child clothing. There is still a safe way if you like the look. It is possible to add a faux drawstring that doesn’t go all around your child’s neck. Instead of running through a casing around the hood, simply pass your drawstring from one buttonhole to the other (or grommets) and make sure to keep is short enough. For exemple, Canada, our regulation is 75mm or 2.5 inches long maximum.

This is how it looks from the wrong side and right side. From the right side, you really can’t tell that it’s a faux drawstring right?

On the women hoodie however, the cord or drawstring running all around the hood is highly recommended. The hood, having a special shape that drapes into a cowl has a large cut on the bias and the cord helps stabilise the hood opening, preventing it to get too wavy.

If you do a faux or real drawstring, you can do either buttonholes or use grommets. I recommend that you put a small piece of interfacing where you will put them to guaranty a long lasting garment.

There are no markings on the child’s pattern. Find the middle point of your hood (outside fabric) and mark with a pin or a washable marker.  From this point measure 1 inch on each side.  Mark the seam allowance of the top of the hood with a washable marker. The pattern instructs you to topstitch the hood later on 1 inch from the edge. You will want to center your markings between the seam allowance line and the topstitching line.

Sew your buttonholes or install your grommets as per manufacturer’s instructions.

The hood of the comfy cowl hoodie is of a particular shape to give the cowl effect around the neck. If it’s your first time sewing the Comfy Cowl Hoodie, take a look at the pattern piece to really understand how it is constructed.

Fold each of the hood and hood lining in half, right side to right side, and pin along the outside curved edge (center back seam). Stitch/serge using a 3/8’’ seam allowance. If you are using a serger, press the seam on opposite sides while if you are using a regular sewing machine, press the seams open.

Turn one hood piece right side out and leave one hood piece wrong side out. Insert the hood right side out into the hood wrong side out.

Align both the raw edges and pin along the top of the hood.  Stitch/serge using a 3/8’’ seam allowance.

Turn right side out and press.

Tip: If using grommets, I find it easier to insert the drawstring or faux drawstring at this step before topstitching around the hood. Topstitch the hood opening 1 inch from the edge using a twin needle.

To install the hood on the neck, we will proceed the same way we did for the cuffs and band. Mark the quarter points of the hood and neck.

With the body wrong side out and the hood right side out, place the hood inside the garment and align the back seam of the hood with the center back of the neck. The hood and hood lining will be right sides together.

Continue to match the quarter points of the hood and neck and pin. Then continue to match the hood with the neckline gently stretching the fabric in the process so it matches all nicely.

Stitch/serge using a 3/8’’ seam allowance. Make sure that you are sewing through all 3 layers. Turn the garment right side out, pulling the hood out.

 

Press your hoodie carefully one last time and give yourself a round of applause! Congratulations on sewing a Comfy Cowl Hoodie!!!

You still have 2 more days to sew before I randomly pick the winners, so good luck everyone! Remember that you can access to all the sew along posts on the Mummykins and Me website.