One Hot Hoodie

"Sewing Clothes Kids Love," by Langdon & Pollehn, has some great patterns to choose from. I chose the Imke shirt because there are so many things you can do with it! I used the boy cut but the girl design, so here is the 'One Hot Hoodie' designed by me:
First, I had to transfer the pattern on to paper that could be cut to preserve the pattern from the book. My husband got this huge, damaged roll of paper when working at a printing company. We've had the roll for.. 5 years and we use it for all kinds of projects!
I improvised by using my glass coffee table with a lamp underneath it to trace the pattern pieces that were needed. (You can see the book I used under the lamp.)
To embellish, I used the Pellon transfer paper, turning the flame fabric into an iron-on patch. The flames are a cotton material with no stretch, so I added them on to the black knit which is the basic shape of the whole hoodie.

Here, I laid the flames on the sleeve to iron them on before I sewed up the side seams. I cut around a few big and a few small flames, then stitched around the flames to make them more secure and add some dimension. I tried to get a good shot. (You have to look closely around the outer edge to see the stitching!)

My husband suggested the flames inside the hood and I have to say they turned out awesome! I would have gone overboard with the flames if it weren't for his guidance. As it is, I think the flames are just enough!
My son did not want to pose for me, so these shots are silly, but I still wanted to show my hoodie in action! He loves the flames in the hood and always says it's a cape, so I guess that is the next project.

I entered and didn't win either contest:

"Lil Blue Boo / Dharma Trading Design Challenge" hosted in April.

The other contest was in March over at I Am Momma, Hear Me Roar.

Current contests for May 2011: