Put a Hood On It: Or maybe not.

I am not sewing for me right now. I have a lot of work, and much of it paid because I like living indoors and eating. So I am going through the blog posts I started and finishing them up. I have a couple of hundred of orphans, and my hair is going to change color in them. LIKE MAGIC.

I made this short robe for Son from an Ikea duvet cover (as one does)

So I took some measurements off the original and did some mathing

And then I gave it a hood.

Oooookay.

This was more a 'do ya think this could work?' exercise in sewing. I cut my hair shorter and shorter, and I don't turn the heat up very high in my house, so the back of my neck gets cold. Not the front.

So, hoodies. And it would be nice to have a hoody for work that isn't advertising something else than my organization. And we don't have a hoody.

Shame.

So I was looking at how the facing/collar works on this jacket and ...well, when you are into something (hoods), you want to put them on everything?

The continuous front/neck facing is twice the height of the body plus the width of the opening, sewn all the way around in one go. It's doubled in width, to fold over that edge.

 So, if I were to add the hood, I'd be extending those facings (and adding a piece at the back for the head width).

I think you're always better with a higher hood than what I'm mentioning here. You could measure your whole head height from shoulder to shoulder over your head. That is why the tape measure is flexible, right?

I try to make muslins I don't want to keep (I got too attached to makes that were almost good enough, and I wouldn't bother to take it further). I make parts of stuff; when I know what works, I just work on the part I'm unsure of. Get enough to get a good proof of concept before I commit to the fancy fabric.

This might not have been the best choice for this project, but it did work for the toile. I can't even remember what this sample fabric was for. I don't buy grey stuff much (even if it is delicious).

This kinda works. Hood should be deeper...

My ultimate fabric choice is a Kokka knit, semi deep stash, 40" wide.

Hug Snug as a seam finish (preventer of future stretching) at the shoulder/neck seam.

Oooh. Sewing.

Awkward selfie before the sleeves, with derp face.

Now, looking back, this is the point where I should have put sleeves on the muslin. 

The original does not have a hood, and it hangs fine.

The finished item has a hood, and it is less than pleasing, at least in this version, with these proportions and this fabric.

So I took off the hood.

Better.

Now if the black was actually black. Next to black, it's kind of green.