The Imke hoodie was done yesterday and Nels has scarcely removed it since.
He loves the snuggly garment so much and so do others. Anecdotal: yesterday only a half hour after I’d finished the project we arrived late to our weekly Homeschool Sports session. I sat down on the bleachers next to my buddy-mama K. and after exchanging greetings I explained our tardiness. “Something’s wrong with my car,” I told her. “We had to take a cab to make it here at all!” K. stared at my kids as they gambolled about on gym equipment. Looking straight at my son she said vaguely, “Oh? What’s wrong with your shirt?”, having substituted the distracting and awesome hoodie for the noun “car”. We had a laugh. The diversion of my son’s garment was the sincerest form of compliment.*
At any rate, there’s surely not been a hoodie like this anywhere else.
I was pretty quick-and-dirty with the appliques. Most of the Farbenmix enthusiasts’ treatment of trims and embellishments are different than those I used for this hoodie – from what I can tell, there garments are favored by the use of embroidery machines, sergers, coverstitch machines, and bright, professional-looking patches. I was pretty low-tech on this project, using a sewing machine rather than serger and cutting from quilting cottons for patches. My methods are cheaper and look more “homemade”.
Using a true “patch” or taking a little more care in constructing applique makes for a more professional look. The next time I construct such a garment I will take time with a method to insulate the thin cotton wovens from showing the garment detail underneath (methinks a form of light and thin batting would do the trick).
For topstitching I merely performed a quick turquoise zig-zag around the applique, then re-threaded with red and performed a triple-stitch (which is how I got the thread bar so thick).
The hood shape is wonderful. It not only fits wonderfully and looks great, there are details in the book as to inserting elastic in the hood facing seamline. Very easy to do, and forms a subtle gather that keeps the hood on the head without use of a drawstring:
Finally, a Kelly Hogaboom coup: the hood and lining construction. It’s hard to make a hood and lining without some kind of icky seam showing either in the inner or outer neckline. I did something rather goofy: constructed the hood and lining, leaving an opening in the straight lining seam. I sewed the face of the hood and lining together, then applied the raw edge neckline, one at a time, to the garment neckline (using the hole in the lining to pull the entire garment through when sewing the lining seam.) I then turned the whole thing right-side out and stitched the lining gap closed. This had the advantage of a lovely, smooth segue from garment to hood – no topstitching required.
No one understood or cared about the above paragraph except perhaps Brian Remlinger, if he’s reading.
Hood-applying brilliance notwithstanding, I did make one mistake in the construction of it. Below you see the back of the garment, right at the inner edge of center-back hood and garment body (and handmade tag). Can you see what I did wrong? (Hint: only a sewing-nrrd could spy it!)
Nels is pleased with the result; as am I.
For more details, the photos in my Imke Flickr tagset list a few specifics. If you have any questions, do consider posting here on the blog to help any readers who may come along at a later date.
On to the next project: the Riviera leggings. Sophie choose a wonderful stretch knit for the project, and they should whip up in no time.
* What’s wrong with my car? According to our car-monkey friend – and his explanation seemed savvy to me, peering into the workings of our 25-year old engine – the crankshaft pulley is loose and therefore not driving the waterpump. So no driving the car. For now. Public transit, bikes, and my mother’s pick-up truck FTW.
amazing. I love it.
it almost makes me want to BE nels, only he’s way better at that job that I could ever be.
Boots has been reading/listening/looking at your blog, and he is in love with the clothes too. I think he’s hinting that I should sew him stuff because he keeps talking about how much you loooooove nels and sophie to be making them clothes that are special.
Oh, funny. Sophie was flirting with me being a SUCK-PARENT for sewing and saying she wanted storebought stuff. So I was totally permissive and accepting of her expressed wishes. I notice she started pulling the home-sewn stuff on again. I think she was looking for permission to opt out of my “gifts”. Which I fully grant.
We will get you that machine and I can’t wait to help you in any way you’d like to sew for Boots. Or yourself, or whomever.
cool. I would love to sew for boots, and myself I guess, but I tend to dress very dull. I wear jeans and black t shirts and then some other stuff, but I only buy stuff that goes with everything else. Boots on the other hand has a lot of ideas. I asked him (when he was freaking out with love over pants that sophie had on I think it was) what kind of pants he would want and he wanted bright green pants with this certain kind of pocket in a specific color, and a elastic waist with a different color, bright orange cuffs and the different colored hearts all over and his name on the back. I was shocked. I mostly just buy him jeans or very simple clothes, or bright solids if he seems interested, but I guess if he could pick he would dress fabulous, not basic.
So yeah, when I figure out the machine thing I would love to learn how to sew instead of my current slop things together until they don’t fall apart. I shouldn’t be that grim about it. The stuff I’ve made has been good, or fine for what it’s used for. But not neat or spectacular.
kelly i totally appreciate the way you did the hood!!
In fact that’s similar to how i construct the completely enclosed yoke on my Henry shirt. I had a dream about it the night before I worked that one out!
if you lived closer you could borrow my car.
I totally didn’t know what was wrong with that photo until I clicked it and found the explanation. I think it looks really awesome and I love the home crafted look. Anyone can wear around clothing that looks like it was made in a third world garment factory, only the lucky few get choices like this. This makes me want to create something similar… watch out!
Awesomeness.
I have a suggestion for the appliqués for future reference: try using a light to mid-weight flannel, in one or two layers, as opposed to a batting. Batting can separate after many washings because it’s not woven. Flannel is woven and would act as a padding layer and yet not have the tendency to separate after repeated washings. Just a thought.
I always like what you have to show on the Ottobre group; this shirt is no exception. I’ve got the Imke planned for my 3 year-old, after I make the Manhattan dress for my oldest.
Oh my gosh! Jen, that is a great idea. I was just reading a book by Amy Karol (of the Angry Chicken blog) and she uses lots of flannel as body / structure. Thank you for an excellent suggestion – and I hope it benefits many future readers!