It’s *almost* hoodie weather in Texas, and I just couldn’t resist making one in preparation for the cooler weather. I was a pattern tester for the Ellie and Mac Be Creative Hoodie* and am excited to share with you my finished project as well as some tips and resources so you can make your own.
The Pattern
The Be Creative Hoodie Pattern* comes in sizes XXS to 6X, which covers bust sizes ranging from 29 to 63 inches. It is a more fitted hoodie that features set in sleeves, a color blocked bodice with optional trim on the front, and a hood or a cowl for the neckline.
The hood is fully lined and crosses over in the front and has patches for grommets. The instructions call for a faux drawstring, which I did not include. If I want a drawstring, I plan for it to be real and will sew a casing to enclose it, I explained how I did this on the post I wrote last year on the Around the Block Hoodie.
The trim separating the top and bottom bodice is optional and can be used on the front and back. I think it gives it a nice pop of color to separate the sections and is really easy to sew in.
The pattern includes a top and tunic length. I sewed the top length and made no adjustments. The only thing I think I will do different next time is to add the pockets from the Around the Block hoodie pattern or another pattern because umm.. pockets!!
Fabric
Since the hoodie is a more fitted hoodie, you want to make sure that your fabric has 50% or more 4 way stretch. A lot of typical hoodie fabric is thick and does not have a lot of spandex or stretch to it.
I suggest looking for fabric with a spandex content so that you are comfortable in this hoodie. I used a cotton lycra french terry for both bodice pieces, arms, hood, bands and cuffs. The only fabric that was not a french terry was the piping. I used a lighter weight cotton lycra jersey for this part so that the seam was not very bulky. I also topstitched the seam to the upper bodice so it laid nice and flat.
Sewing Tips
The hoodie itself is really easy to sew because you are sewing just basic seams together. I recommend using clips to attach the top bodice to the bottom bodice, especially if using the trim, just so that you keep everything lined up. Then, give it a good press with steam.
The most advanced part of the pattern are the patches and grommets on the hood, and those are definitely optional and decorative so don’t let those intimidate you. If you are feeling adventurous and want to do the grommets, I have a video that I show how to install grommets on a hoodie. You can watch the video here. The grommet section starts at 7:50 into the video.
Resources
- You can find the Be Creative pattern for Women here. I also have made the kids’ version of this pattern and blogged about it here.
- I used white cotton lycra French terry from Simply by Ti for the bands and top bodice. I love how stretchy this fabric is, and it also has great recovery thanks to the spandex content in the fabric. I got the grey/white glitter print fabric from a destash, and it feels like the cotton lycra French terry offered by a lot of custom print groups. The rose pink cotton lycra is from Made Whimsy.
- I blogged about the pink athletic tights I am wearing in this blogpost here.
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*Disclosures
I received this pattern for free as part of the testing process so that I could give the designer feedback about the pattern. Also, this post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. This does not cost you anything, and I genuinely appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.
XO
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