Made by a Fabricista: It’s Sweatshirt Season!

This post is written in loving memory of my sweet pup Lola. Lola was in my opinion the cutest little Shih Tzu ever. She had the best personality and loved making beds out of my bath mats and laying in dirty laundry piles that where getting ready to be washed. She was little weird like that, Occasionally when the weather cooled I would put a little sweatshirt on her to warm her up. She would snuggle right up in bed once I put them on her. My goal with this beautiful navy striped French Terry fabric was to make her and I matching sweatshirts. Unfortunately my little girl didn’t make it. She was elderly and was just not doing good during the time I was making all my projects. We ended up saying goodbye to her and I wasn’t able to make her sweatshirt.

There is a really great pattern for dogs from Ellie and Mac the Hoodie Dog Sweater. It comes in a variety of sizes and I’m sure you could find the perfect size for your little friend. Its so cute when you can dress up your little fur babies in a special one of a kind outfit just for them. When ever I wear my sweatshirt I will definitely be thinking of my little Lola. She will be truly missed.

The sweatshirt I decided to make for myself is the Tami Hoodie from Pattern Niche. Its really a versatile pattern with so many options. This one that I made is with a crossover hoodie. You can add a second hood to make it a double hoodie but I didn’t have enough contrasting fabric for that. The single hood really worked out for me because it may have been too warm for where I live with a double hood. This pattern also features an accent zipper if you would like to add that. Or you could just sew a front zip up hooded too. The French Terry is also the perfect weight and is so soft. This pattern is also great for using creative accent fabrics.

Now because I am in Southern California I did decide that I needed a pair of shorts to go with my top. For this I used the Hudson Pants from True Bias. This pattern doesn’t come with a shorts pattern so I just hacked them into shorts. The pattern comes with regular pants length and cropped. I probably will be making the regular length in the future. They are a really quick sew and if you have or are able to use a serger they are even faster to make. Over the past year and a half I think sweats have been an essential part of every day dress. Its so great when you can make your own to show your personality a little bit more.

As we go into the fall season I will be reaching for these two patterns more. I have plans for more Tami Hoodies already. It is sad I wasn’t able to make a hoodie for my little shadow Lola but it's nice to remember her when I wrap myself in this comfortable hoodie with this soft fabric. At the end of the day this is what I would have been wearing at home in the evening when I was lounging with her anyway. Please give your fur babies and hug and kiss and maybe make them something special that will make them feel loved.