Sofilantjes Velocitas Hoodie + Reinforcing Grommets

Do you sew for your children? My son is 6, and he still absolutely loves when I take time to make him something special. He recently asked for a hoodie to wear on the chilly mornings and evenings of Spring; so, I was pretty excited to oblige. For today’s post, I am talking about the newest Sofilantjes pattern as well as what to do when grommets are ripped out!

Pattern Details

The new Velocitas pattern by Sofilantjes features 2 different views to give you plenty of colorblocking fun on the main body. The pattern can be short or long sleeves and comes in sizes 12 months to 12 years. I made a size 7 width and length for my son based on his chest measurement and height.

This pattern is great for layering and works wonderfully for the thicker fabrics that do not have a lot of stretch. Since we live in an area with milder weather, I used a thicker interlock for the main fabric and paired it with cotton lycra from Made Whimsy.

Grommets + Kids

What I did not think about when making this hoodie for him was just how ROUGH boys can be on their clothes. You see those holes in his jeans? Let me just say that I am one grateful mama that ripped jeans are considered in style these days! Anyways, I stayed up later than I would like to admit one night finishing this hoodie for him and couldn’t wait until he woke up to show it to him. When I let him try it on for fit photos the next day, he excitedly and zealously tried out his hood and ripped one of the grommets all the way out. Yikes! I had ironed on interfacing on the wrong side, but it was not enough!

To fix it, I partially seam ripped part of the hood off to get to the grommets. Then, I reinforced the grommets with a one inch square of Kraft Tex paper on the right side. I use a straight stitch when sewing the paper on. Then, I reinstalled the grommets, and voila! Fixed. Stabilizing with interfacing alone was not enough for this high stress area.

I really like the look the Kraft Tex paper gives. It looks like leather when washed, feels like paper, but sews like fabric. It is some pretty cool stuff. I keep a variety pack on hand so I have many colors on hand.

I made his drawstring out of the black cotton lycra I used as contrast on his fabric. I cut a long strip that was 1.5 inches wide and sewed it along the long edge with a 1/4 inch seam allowance on my serger. I turned it right side out and fed it through the channel with a safety pin. Based on US Safety Standards, I only allowed 3 inches of drawstring to stick out when the hood is not cinched. I also sewed a bar tack/safety stitch in the middle of the channel of the drawstring so that he cannot pull the drawstring out.

He has worn his Velocitas Hoodie a bunch since I made it. He just started baseball last month and is now requesting that I make him another hoodie in his team color – red – so that when they have early morning games, he can keep warm.

The Velocitas Hoodie pattern is on sale now through early Monday morning so grab your copy! It is available in English, French, and Dutch. You can find the English pattern HERE.

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