This year, I’m trying my best to make sure that I don’t leave any projects unfinished…. so before I got distracted by new projects, I thought that I would finally tackle that Ottobre hoodie that I had mentioned back in March.

Let me start off by saying, once the fabric was cut and the materials were prepped (setting the grommets for the hood and adding interfacing for the zipper), I set this everything aside for the day because I just wasn’t feeling this project. Then I forced myself to finish the next day… and I glad I did because I actually had fun sewing it. Everything came together well and even the zipper worked out the first time (which I was dreading inserting on a knit). Plus the fabric in this one is lightweight enough to wear during chilly summer nights and the fit is perfect.

Now that it’s finished, here’s a few notes about this pattern if you decide to try it for yourself: First off, the grommet size seems a bit small – 6mm (or 1/4″) looks great on the hoodie, but I struggled to get my drawstring through it. The drawstring is a pretty cool concept though – instead of having cords dangling, it lays flat and is sewn into the seam. Secondly, the pocket is supposed to be attached with a flatlock seam on a serger (so it has that unfinished, finished look). I really didn’t have threads that looked good enough to be shown on the outside of the jacket, so I skipped this part and finished the edges (I also skipped flatlocking the shoulder seams as well, although it would have looked very cool with this material). Lastly, I attached the bindings, cuffs, and bottom band differently than outlined in the directions (I just folded in half, sewed it to the edge, and pressed upwards) – this was easier especially since I was skipping flatlocking the edges.