Yay! It’s finished! Introducing the Sawyer Hoodie

Hey, it’s finally done! A new zero waste pattern. Thanks for reading each week as the project unfolded.

The pattern is now in my shop – please enjoy 25% off until the end of September.

The Sawyer hoodie comes in 12 sizes, from an 87cm/34″ bust/chest to a 142cm/56″. Making multiple sizes has has been the most challenging part of this pattern and there are subtle variations of styling between each size. The top is suitable for men or women.

It’s designed for 112cm/44″ wide woven fabrics such as chambray, quilting cotton, flannelette and linen. It is possible to make this top in a knit fabric, as we saw last week, however it might be low waste rather than zero waste.

The top has built-in underarm gussets for comfort, shoulder reinforcement, a front pouch pocket and of course a hood.

It’s a fairly roomy fit, with 26cm/10.25″ ease.

As with my other patterns, the pattern pieces are drawn straight onto the fabric, so there’s nothing to print out and tape together. You can even leave the instructions on your device/tablet so that it’s totally paperless.

It has a bit of a fisherman’s smock vibe (like this, this and this), a bit of playing-basketball-until-it’s-too-dark-to-see, a bit of beachside holiday, a bit of walking-your-dog and a bit of wearing-at-home.

I chose the name Sawyer because it’s a boy-or-girl name and this top can be worn by men or women. The name apparently means “person who cuts wood” and as this top works well in checked fabrics and lumberjacks traditionally wear plaid, I thought it was suitable. One also thinks of the fictional character Tom Sawyer, and according to the baby name websites, it’s the new up-and-coming gender-neutral baby name (so maybe I’m ahead of a trend!).

Here’s the full week-by-week story:

Week 1, where I had an idea for this top in my sketchbook and tested its potential.

Week 2, showing a sewn-up prototype and a few thoughts on how to create multiple sizes. I also found some fabrics to sew photography samples.

Week 3, showing the results of a busy week of sample sewing.

Week 4, working on the pattern’s instructions and drawing, drawing, drawing.

Week 5, it’s photography week!

Week 6, showing this top made in a knit fabric.

Cheers!

Update: take a look at Sue Stoney’s top on her blog. Sew Andrew made one in linen. @zoetemeyer made one in linen for her husband with long sleeves. Mainelymenswear used indigo dyed fabric for his. Esther used two fabrics and made hers like a sweater.