I am back with another sewing project today and remaining in the comfy style with this DIY hoodie. The ‘Stella Hoodie’ by Tilly and the Buttons is the make of choice!

So, you may know that I have a re-found love for sewing, and I am getting back into making some clothing pieces. I have previously made the ‘Stella Joggers’ and thought that making the matching DIY hoodie would be a great next step. Now, I need to admit that I made this a few months ago when the weather was much colder, but it is still a great make for wearing comfortable clothing.

The pattern for this hoodie is in Tilly and the Button’s 2nd book ‘Stretch! Therefore if you want to make this you are going to have to purchase the book. No fear though, the book is packed with other fabulous patterns so definitely a great purchase to make! (This isn’t sponsored…I just love how easy Tilly’s patterns are to make).

DIY Hoodie – Fabric Choices

As the pattern is in the ‘Stretch book’, the ideal fabrics for this make are those with a stretch to them, or ‘knit’. I chose a few different materials to make up the DIY hoodie. A beautiful french terry fabric, with a pink base and black decorative arrows. For the hood lining, the double sweatshirt fabric from the Stella joggers was used. However, changing this up by sewing the inside for the right side as it is just super cuddly! Finally, making the cuffs with a pink knit ribbing. Again, this material is on my Stella joggers waistband and cuffs.

All of the material is from Flamingo Fabrics, which is an online fabric store. They sell so many different jersey type material with wonderful patterns. If you like the material I have used, then you can find them here:

• Pink – arrow French terry fabric
• Grey Double Sweatshirt fabric
• Pink Knit Ribbing

Some links within this post are affiliate links and are marked with an asterisk (*). This means that I may earn a commission should you purchase them through the link, at no extra cost to you.

DIY Hoodie – Sewing the Hoodie

This sewing pattern is slightly more complex than that of the matching joggers. This is because it involves adding in the hood as well as sleeves. Luckily the instructions to make it, really do break down each step. The pattern also includes a few extras and changes to it. Therefore I added the extra kangaroo pocket onto the front of the hoodie. I mean a hoodie isn’t a hoodie without a decent pocket is it?

I also changed the pattern slightly, grading the hoodie between two sizes. The majority of the hoodie is in Size 4, with the bottom piece moving into Size 5. The thing to do with any sewing pattern is to make it in the measurements of your body rather than the clothing size. Tilly’s patterns are numbered differently to take them away from the traditional clothing sizes, making you actually measure yourself. This is perfect for getting the right fit for you, making it more bespoke. I graded the pattern because I wanted the bottom of the hoodie to be looser around my lower waist and hips. Just pure comfort!

So, shall we get crafting/sewing? I thought I would do a semi-breakdown of all the steps needed to make the hoodie. If you happen to be making the hoodie, then hopefully this post will help you make it. Or maybe it will give you a bit of inspiration to make your own DIY hoodie.

Step 1 – Cut out the Pattern and Add Notches

The first step to do is to cut out the pattern. Like I said before, I graded the pattern. This means that the pattern piece needs tracing to be able to get the bespoke pattern piece. Sewing tracing paper* is perfect for tracing your patterns, and it allows you to keep the original, so if you need to make it again in a different size, the original is intact. It is time-consuming though!

Once the pattern pieces are ready, it is time to pin them to the chosen material and cut them out. I have a new found love for using a rotary cutter* to cut out my fabric, but traditional sewing scissors work perfectly too. Before removing any of the fabric from the pattern it is super important to pop in the notches from the pattern. These usually help you to line the individual pieces up properly, giving the finished piece a professional look. I also advise keeping all the fabric on the pattern piece until you are ready to sew that piece. That way you know what is what and don’t sew the wrong pieces together.

Before any sewing, knit interfacing* needs adding to the two sides of the hood. This will stabilise the buttonholes needed for the drawstring holes of the hood.

Step 2 – Sew the Shoulders and Create the Hood

The important thing to remember when sewing knit or stretch fabric is to use a stretch stitch or a zig-zag stitch. Place the front and back bodice pieces of the hoodie together, right sides together. Sew a seam along the two shoulders to join them together. Use an iron to press the seam, and set in the stitches.

The next thing to begin making is the hood for the hoodie. This is the first time I have sewn a hood, but it is pretty straight forward. Pin the centre hood and side hood together, making sure the right sides are together. In this case (for the lining piece) the right side is the inside part of the grey sweatshirt material for me. Match the notches and use plenty of pins to keep it all in place. This is a curve, so take it slow on the sewing machine to make sure it isn’t folding in or bubbling on itself.

Then, add the second side part of the hood to the centre hood, following the process as before. Repeating for the outer and lining parts of the hood. Don’t forget to backstitch at the start and end of the seam to help secure it in place. Again, use an iron to press the seams.

Remember the knit interfacing? Well, it is time to work on that part by creating the buttonholes. Most machines come with a buttonhole foot, so follow the instructions with your machine. My buttonholes still need a bit of work, but they turned out fine and work as they should. I just wish they could be a bit neater!

Connecting the hood together

Finish the hood by connecting the lining piece to the outer piece. Place the two parts of the hood right sides together, matching the notches and pinning all the way around. Sew a seam all the way around the outside edges, leaving the bottom edge unsewn. After sewing, turn the hood right side out and press the seam to set. Also slightly fold over the outer edge, so that the lining is further inside the hood, pressing.

Now, for the next part, you use a straight stitch. It is the only time the straight stitch is used in the project. Use pins to ensure the lining piece is slightly inside the hood, then run a stitch about 2 cm in from the edge. Ensure the buttonhole is on the inside of this stitch as this is creating the channel for the drawstring of the hood.

Once the channel is complete, it is time to close up the bottom raw edge of the hood, ready for attaching to the DIY hoodie.

Step 3 – Attach the Hood to the Bodice

This next part is one of the fiddly parts of this project. Attaching the hood to the hoodie body. Now, you should have notches around the top of the body pieces as well as around the bottom of the hood. Line the two opening sides of the hood with the centre of the front bodice. Pin into place. You should then be able to match the notches all the way around the hood to the corresponding notches of the bodice.

For some reason, none of my notches lined up. So, if you find this happens to you too, then hopefully the following steps are helpful. Find the centre of the back bodice and match this to the back centre of the lower edge of the hood. Pin it into place. Then find the middle of the two remaining sides to the centre of the two remaining sides of the bodices. This is essentially the quarter marks (if that makes sense?!)

Then take it over to the sewing machine and sew all the way around. Fingers crossed this sews in flat and attaches to the hoodie as it should!

Once done, press the seam, and the seam allowance down towards the body of the hoodie. Then, head back to the sewing machine and sew a top stitch, securing the seam allowance down onto the body piece. This makes the hood and hoodie join lay flat, as well as add a nice decorative stitch to the hoodie.

Step 4 – Attach the Sleeves

Now, it is time to attach the sleeves of the hoodie. This step sounds really daunting and fiddly, however, it is so straight forward! That is because these sleeves are sewn in flat, or raglan style. This version of sleeves is such a beginner-friendly method as you don’t have the fit the sleeves into a circle of the armhole. It is basically a straight stitch across the shoulder part of the hoodie. Match the notches, pin and sew the seam. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Step 5 – Adding in the Kangaroo Pouch Pocket

This step is optional, and an extra to the original pattern piece. There should be two pieces to the pattern, which are joined together. This incases the raw edges of the pocket together inside the pocket. Stitch around the outside, following the shape of the pocket around all the edges, leaving a gap to turn right-side out. Turn right side out and press. Tilly’s instructions are more detailed than this, so be sure to check the book for this part!

Pin it to the hoodie front where you would like the pocket to sit. Then stitch along the top and bottom of the pocket, as well as slightly up the sides. This should attach the pocket to the hoodie, leaving gaps on either side to actually use the pocket.

Step 6 – Sew the Side Seams & Add Cuffs

The DIY hoodie is nearly complete. The next thing to do is sew up the side seams on either side, including going along the open edge of the sleeve. This will create one long seam of the hoodie. Remember to backstitch the start and ends of the seams to secure them.

To finish off the sleeves, you could just hem them, however, they may not look quite right. That is where the cuffs come in. These are fairly easy to attach, however you do need to stretch them a bit, as they are usually smaller than the end of the sleeve. Basically, you fold the cuff piece together lengthways, joining the two raw edges. Press the seam flat or towards one side of the cuff. Then, fold the cuff in half widthways, wrong sides together and press.

Pin these to the edges of the sleeves, and place them around the sewing arm of the machine. Most machines allow this to be partly removed which makes it easier to sew.

Step 7 – Hem & Place in Drawstrings

The final two things to do on the hoodie is to hem it and add in the drawstring to the hood.
To hem the hoodie, I used a zig-zag stitch along the raw edge. Now, you don’t really need to do this on knit fabric, as knits generally don’t fray, but I did anyway out of habit. Then fold the raw edge up a few cms towards the inside, and sew along the zig-zag edge to secure the seam in place. The stitch will show on the outside a few cms up from the edge.

Finally, thread the drawstring through the buttonholes and around the channel created earlier. I use a safety pin at the end of the ribbon to help thread it through. The drawstrings I created are polyester ribbon* knotted at the ends to stop them from falling through the buttonholes and getting lost.

Once the drawstring is added the DIY hoodie is complete!

I love how this turned out! It is super comfy, loose without being too baggy and just perfect for lounging about in. What do you think of this sewing make? Have you made the Stella hoodie before? Let me know in the comments below!

Looking for more clothing DIYs? Check out Thrift flipping a dress in PJs and Turning a dress into a child’s skirt.

DIY Hoodie Video

Here is the video version of this post. It may be easier in explaining and demonstrating some of the steps in video format if you are looking to follow along with this project. Don’t forget to like it if you have enjoyed it, and subscribe to my channel to follow more creative projects over on YouTube!

DIY Hoodie – Pin it!

If you have nejoyed this post, why not share the love and pin it for later? You can find me over on Pinterest too!

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