This blog post was WAY too long coming. I made my very first New Horizons Lisse Hoodie in January, 2017.

I blogged about that here.

But here it is, September 2017 and I'm finally making a good one. And I am kicking myself, HARD, for waiting so long.

So let's talk about sizing and fit. My over bust is 35, full bust 38-38.5 depending on bra, waist 31 and hips 38. I started with a  size medium, blended to a small at the hem. The size medium is supposed to go up to a 37.5" bust. The size small hip is supposed to be for a 37.5" hip. I stuck with the size medium through the waist and then blended down to the small hip.

This pattern includes 2 length cut lines. 1 for small bust/short torso and large bust/long torso. I forgot to consider that my fabric has vertical stretch, so I initially used the large bust length on the front and short torso length for the back. I put the entire thing together and? Fail. So I unpicked the entire front and tried just making the center front shorter. That also failed. I ended up having to pick the entire front and along the side seam into the armpit. This took about 3 hours of my life. I could have made an entirely NEW hoodie in that time, except that I did my seam ripping while the kids were at their activities, so I didn't lose any sewing time.

I removed 1/2" of length from the over bust. This made the armhole smaller to better fit my thin arms and should have brought the bust point up. I did a small 1/4" pivot and slide full bust adjustment on the front pattern piece. I suspect I made things worse rather than better. But I can't confirm because of how many times I unpicked the center front. I may have distorted the fabric with all my fiddling.

If you're looking for something COMPLETELY different from your regular hoodie, this is a great choice. You get both a cowl (what I made here) or a hood. There's also the option for thumbhole cuffs, which is a great feature for anyone that gets cold hands.

And of course my fabric was a perfect match. This is the Simply By Ti Stretch French Terry. It comes in 7 great colors, has 50% horizontal stretch and 35% vertical stretch and is great for all sorts of projects. But the best part? It is just $5 a yard for just 24 hours only.

Want to replicate my Lisse Hoodie?  (Imitation is the best form of flattery.) Grab your copy of the New Horizons Lisse Hoodie for 20% off! Use coupon code SEWING BY TI to get the women's or girls version for 20% off. Coupon does NOT apply to bundle.

Want to help me out? THIS is my New Horizons Affiliate Link. If you use this link INSTEAD of the links above, I'll get a small commission. It won't cost you anything extra.