DIY Quilted Hoodie Quilt-A-Long: Week 1

Tips for selecting fabrics

Just use my new line!! JK, any of your favorite fabric will work, but bonus points if you use my new collection by Riley Blake. It’s in shops now! In fact, did you know the "Grand Prize" for the QAL is 1 yard of everyyyyy print in my new collection?! That's 21 yards of (the best) fabric!! To enter, post a progress photo and tag me @wellspringdesigns_co each week. That's only 3 posts, you can do it!! At the end of the QAL, I'll choose a winner from those who have posted each week. It could be you!

Option 1:

Selected a completed quilt. This might be controversial (don’t we wish the world’s problems were as big as our quilt drama). If you don’t know, some quilters have strong feelings about seeing old or new quilts repurposed into clothing. While I understand handmade quilts may be under-appreciated and cutting heirlooms shouldn’t be done lightly — we’ve all seen the piles of forgotten hand-stitched quilts sitting in thrift stores, antique shops, dusty attics, etc. In my humble opinion, if one get a second chance and is repurposed into a garment — well, that’s pretty amazing. Resew, requilt, recycle: the eco-friendly quilty mantra. 

Option 2:

Find an unfinished quilt top. As a quilter with a wandering eye, I am definitely guilty of getting distracted with a new project and leaving behind an unquilted quilt top. Maybe I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would, and so it got folded it up and stuffed away in my sewing room. Have you ever done that? Well, if you have this is the perfect time to pull out that quilt top and repurpose it! Lay it out, arrange your pattern sections on it, and see if it will work. A large throw should accommodate most of the Hoodie pattern sizes. You can either quilt the whole top or cut sections from the quilt top first then baste and quilt individually.

Option 3:

Piece sections for each template piece. After all of the talk about repurposing old projects — this is actually what I did for my two hoodies. Do as I say not as I do. The first hoodie was from the Wayward and Park Day Quilt scraps. Right after finishing a quilt is the best time for a scrappy project! Why? Because you already have a group of coordinating fabrics, and the scrap measurements are likely similar in size which makes piecing easier. I suggest making 6 sections (front panel, back panel, (2) hood/cuff, sleeves and pocket). These are the sections measurements I used for my Medium hoodie cropped by 6" (so add 6" to the full length panels). 

• Front/Back Panels: (2) 26" x 28"
• Sleeves (single panel for both): 25" x 40"
• Hood/cuff panel: 18" x 24"
• Pocket: 10" x 16"
• 3" x WOF binding
• 6" x WOF binding

Bonus Tips:

• Select fabrics in colors you like to wear. We don't always quilt with colors we wear, so keep this in mind when selecting fabric combinations.
• Use darker colors around the sleeves and neckline. I can't be the only one that dips my sleeves in ketchup or rubs makeup on my collar, right? High-use areas benefit from darker fabric tones! Also think about this when choosing the lining fabric.
• Alternate high impact prints with solids or blenders. If you look closely at my versions, I try to break up the larger prints with solids or minimal prints to visually balance the piece.

FAQ:

Several people have asked about sizing measurements for the pattern, and the short answer is: I don't have specific measurements. This is my first time creating garment templates (which is why they are free), so I am still learning and will be sure to include them in future patterns. The pattern runs fairly true to size as an oversized sweatshirt, although quilts have minimal stretch, so if in doubt make a test version. I had help from another garment sewist who based the sizing on average XS-XXL measurements. In the photos I am wearing a medium.