Oh my god, I love this hoodie.
Remember that stripey hoodie I made last year with a sacrificed RTW hoodie that I ripped up to use as the pattern? I LOVE that thing – I wear it allll the time – but it’s a bit lightweight for winter. I mean, the fabric is a very flimsy jersey knit. I knew I wanted to make something with a bit more heft and warmth to it, but every fabric in my stash just seemed… wrong.
Then I bought that ridiculous chunk o’ yardage of ivory jersey from Mood and I was like, YES. White hoodie it is!
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. This isn’t just any ol’ white hoodie – this is a white hoodie that has been lined in fluffy faux sherpa, at the pockets and the hood, for extra warmth and snuggliness!
I bought sherpa remnant while I was in Chicago last year, at the Vogue Fabric Store (Here is it on their website, I think). I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I knew it had to come home with me! After seeing how great it looked next to the ivory knit, I knew I’d found a match made in heaven.
Since the sherpa only has a slight stretch to it, I knew I couldn’t use it for anything that was dependent on being stretchy – i.e., the body or the sleeves. This left the hood and the front pockets, both of which I lined. I cut the pattern pieces from both the knit and the sherpa, giving the sherpa an extra seam allowance at the hemmed edge. After sewing the pieces together, the smaller size of the knit meant that it easily pushed inside the lining, so I had a cute ~sherpa edge~ on the hem of my front pockets and the edge of my hood.
“But Lauren,” you might be thinking, “isn’t sherpa hard to sew? Don’t you need to use a special leather needle or risk blowing up your machine?” Naw! Not even! My sherpa is pretty thin, even with the suede backing, so it sewed up fine with a ballpoint needle (normally I would have opted for a universal needle, but we are dealing with knits on the other side here) and serged effortlessly. It also wasn’t quite as messy as other faux furs I’ve used – no fur tumbleweeds blowing around in my sewing room or anything! – but be warned that it does still shed. I was wearing my Lola Sweater Dress while working on this and by the time I was finished, I looked like I had crawled through a snowstorm. So, you know, maybe invest in a lint roller or something.
I topstitched down around the perimeter of the hood hem, which turned the sherpa into a casing where I could insert a drawstring and some little sherpa pom poms. I mean, if you’re gonna go all out – you should go all out, yeah?
Pom poms are SO easy to make, by the way!
Cut a circle out of your fabric (cut it bigger than you think you should) and baste all the way around with a long running stitch.
Gently pull one thread tail to gather, and the circle will form itself into a ball.
Before fully closing the ball, you will want to stuff it so it has some body. You can use polyfill or just fabric scraps – I decided to use some of my leftover tiger jersey because I thought it would be a fun little secret 😉
Finally, just fold gathered raw edges under and sew across the top several times, pulling the thread tight (but not so tight that it snaps!) until the hole is closed. Not pictured but you should do this anyway: make sure you put your drawstring in the hole before you close it up! I first tied a giant knit at the end of mine so it wouldn’t pull out.
Pom poms + sherpa = best hoodie ever
This hoodie was one of those weird experiments that I wasn’t sure was going to work out until the very end – the front pockets are pretty thick, thanks to the sherpa, and the hood fits a bit tighter than normal because of the multiple layers. But I really LOVE the way it turned out! Exactly as I imagined!
The only question (and the only thing I didn’t think through before plowing ahead): Um. How does one wash suede-backed sherpa?
Here are some less blown-out close-ups. Man, this thing was hard to photograph! I tried taking the pictures in my living room so it wouldn’t be quite as bright, but it’s still hard to see the details.
One thing that really upped the luxe factor of this hoodie (or, as luxe as a hoodie can get, I guess!) is the zipper I used. Instead of going to Joann and getting a plastic white zipper like I usually would, I went to my Bernina store and bought one of those special gold metal zippers that costs like $8. Ha! It’s not quite as fancy as a Riri zipper, but it’s the best thing I could find locally 😉 I think it really adds a nice touch and makes the hoodie look super professional!
To get the zipper in was a bit fiddly, since I had so many layers going on at the pockets. I basted the layers together by machine, folded the edges under and fused stitch witchery in between to keep everything in place. I sewed the zipper in with two lines of straight stitching – the closest line going right up against the zipper. I used a walking foot and a ball point needle so the fabric did not move around at all.
There are those pom poms again! Ha! I LOVE them! 😀
Leaving y’all with this picture because it’s so amazing. What am I even doing here, I have no idea, but it makes me laugh every time I see it.
Psssss- I just got wind that the Great British Sewing Bee is casting for Season 3! Ahh!! I know I said I don’t like participating in sewing contests, but were I qualified for this one I would be ALL over it like white on rice! Which means, if you DO qualify – go on and let us live vicariously through you! Do it do it!
LLADYBIRD 
Adorable, great job….as usual 🙂
Oh my god, that last picture is the greatest thing ever.
Agh SO CUTE. I seriously want one of these…do you know of any available patterns that approximate this look? Or do we all need to find hoodies to deconstruct? 🙂 The sherpa detail is perfect – it looks so cuddly, I feel warmer just looking at it!
I think the Sol Hoodie is pretty similar if you leave off the fabric bands (or leave them on, bc they’re cute!). I can’t personally recommend this pattern as I’ve never sewn it up myself, but I’ve seen some cute ones around the internet 😉 You could also mod a Renfrew into a hoodie, although you’d have to draft the pockets and hood and add seam allowance for the zip front 🙂
I am so excited that you found a use for the sherpa! Do you feel more inclined to climb a mountain now?
Hell yes! Fighting a bear and eating beef jerky the whole way up, naturally 😉
Certainly. Bear fighting is a lucrative job skill.
It looks soooo sweet and cosy. I’d love to make a hoodie!
I’ve totally applied for Sewing Bee, fingers crossed. New season starts tomorrow!
Yay!! Good luck!!!
The hood looks so snuggly.I don’t know if I could ever wear ivory though- one wear and I know I’d end up with bolognese sauce on it!!
Soooo cute!
This is so cute! I love it on you! The pompoms are ridiculously sweet!!!
Girl, I cannot believe how fast you finish all of these amazing projects! So beautiful!
So amazing and snuggly looking!
Fabulous hoodie! I hope you can wash that sherpa!
Hahahaha that last pic! I can’t believe you didn’t take the opportunity to link back to the bear costumes you blogged about forever ago, those were the best! Also, yay, you got boots! And this hoodie is awesome and I want to copy it, but I definitely need a pattern, ha!
Hoodie Robot is the new Bear Costume, yeah? :B And YES I love my boots! My bestie and I actually bought the same pair, because we’re cute like that. The best part is, they are Lauren Conrad brand, so they have my name inside them haha
Ha, that’s awesome! Mine have a sticker that say $5.99 inside. (Goodwill haha)
Sssssh. This is a secret. Suede is washable, though it might soften up and if dyed that might fade. I’d give a swatch (maybe lined with a piece of your knit) the treatment you’d give the knit. it might be fine.
Thank you so much for the tip! I’ll definitely give a swatch a test wash and report back with what I learn.
I agree. You should be fine washing the hoodie on a gentle cycle. Line dry it. They wash sheep with water and a mild soap before they shear them, so it’s already been treated that way at least once.
wordpress ate my comment!!!!!!!!! to sum up: bring hoodie to NY so i can haz. also: hair is still the bomb.
Girl, I MADE this shit for NYC…. and you can pry it out of my cold dead hands 😉 You know the entire time I will be freaking out over that jacket you just made!
This is brilliant. I am gong to have to find some sherpa – when you were making your coat I mentioned how much I love my fur-lined hood but that jacket is brown leather and tight across my shoulders – a hoodie so I could have a fur hood to wear whenever I want? This is definitely going on my project list.
Wow;0)- Great job!!!
You can also find leather detergents that you can use in your washing machine. Most equestrian stores may have them. This is a link to one: http://www.leathertherapy.com/products/LEATHER-INFUSION-WASH.html
I’ve used some from when I used to ride and they always worked well. Love the pom poms!
A match made in heaven for sure! If it’s still cold when you come to NYC, which I’m almost 100% sure it will be, I hope this can make an appearance. Pom pom anything is right up my alley!
Oh yes! I’m already planning outfits around it 🙂
Ahh, that hoodie is amazing! It looks so snuggly and soft. I have a gorgeously soft fuzzy white RTW hoody that I love, and I usually get told it’s like a teddy bear, and get stroked a lot! Downside of white hoody – I have to remember to take it off, or put something else on over the top when I eat spag bol or similarly messy food – it would only end in disaster otherwise. Maybe you’re a much less clumsy eater than me and you won’t have to worry about that! I totally want one with pom poms now though!
Nope, I’m a pretty clumsy eater (and person in general). I’m just keeping my fingers crossed haha!
Oh my goodness, the secret tigers are an unbelievably cute touch! The whole thing looks so ell made and snugly – I am confident you well get much enjoyment from this. I had a RTW hoody with Sherpa in the pockets and hood once. I used to just wash it in the machine and it was OK, but did get clumpy and less soft. Not sure what it was backed with. Have you got a left over piece that you could test with? Rachel ☺
P.S. your hair looks ace!
ooh this is crazy cute!!! love the pom poms so much!
Being able to make stuff like this is exactly why I’m learning to sew. Super cute!
LOVE your jacket! It’s super cute, and looks really warm and snuggly. The pom poms are my favorite part, I think 🙂
I just did a fleece jacket where the pattern suggested faux shearling for fabric…! Never heard of it, but I think you may have found it!
Very cute!
Adorable! So. So. Jealous.
the pom poms are the perfect finishing touch!
I have sewn many, many things with that exact faux sherpa/faux suede fabric…you can toss it in the washer and dryer as normal. It does not shrink(100% polyester). The only problem I can imagine is if the knit wasn’t prewashed, you may get some uneven shrinkage of the areas where you lined it with the sherpa.great looking hoodie!
Ah, good to know! My knit fabric has been prewashed, so I’m guessing we are good to go 🙂
Ohhhh such a lovely hoodie, it looks very snuggly. Though I would be scared of the color… Everytime I wear something white I promtly spill something onto it like …
I love the skirt too, is that a Zinnia from Colette patterns? It looks great with the hoodie and the boots!
Nope, it’s actually a vintage silk skirt I’ve had for a few years. It very closely resembles the Zinnia, though, so I definitely plan on making some more silk version!
DUDE. That looks like a cuddle in hoodie form. How awesome?
So so cute and practical! AD pom poms! Your details are so well sewn! My hubs loves sherpa hoodies, he is always on the look out for them, I never thought maybe I could make him one.
I love it! I love it so much I think you should turn it into a pattern and sell that shit- I’d buy it 😉
That is the cutest ever. The end.
This hoody is amazing and you finally found your dream boots! Perfect winter outfit!
Another great project!! I really admire the way you can produce bountiful amounts of finished garments!!
Oh yeah, the vest with the faux Sherpa got delayed this season, but is on my top ten for fall……
Also, (sorry for the 3RD comment here), I miss the monster faces!
Beautifully done! I like the pompoms, have made them once or twice myself and I was amazed to see them actually turn into balls. And thnx for the fun pictures 🙂
Everything about this hoodie is amazing. But the pompoms are just beyond words.
How do you manage to make even your casual stuff look so luxe and gorgeous and put together? What is your secret?
Well, faux fur helps make anything look luxe 😉 but seriously – upping your fabric game is the easiest way to make something look super fancy without much effort!
Love this! The zipper and pom poms definitely take the hoodie to another level. Haha! That last picture is awesome. 🙂 I need to make a couple of hoodies to replace my old RTW ones that have holes in them. You’ve inspired me to get moving on those before winter is over.