Turn a hoodie into a zippie

[chebe]

Hoodies. Ubiquitous. Incredibly awkward and uncomfortable to wear for so many of us. Solution? Add zips!

Step One; Take a hoodie. Be warned, this process will result in a loss of fabric in the centre of any front graphic.

Band Hoodie
Photo by chebe

Step Two; Mark a line down the centre front where you want the zip to go. This hoodie had a very common feature, the base of the hood overlapped each other. Unpick the stitches so they don't overlap anymore.

Hoodie with zip line marked in chalk
Photo by chebe

Step Three; Stitch a narrow zigzag stitch down either side of, and close to, the marked line. Then, carefully, cut along the marked line.

Hoodie with front cut open
Photo by chebe

Step Four; Insert the zip. This is a regular style zip, and won't be lapped or anything. So the process is straightforward; Stitch the zip to the fabric, right-sides together.

Inside of hoodie showing zipper stitched in
Photo by chebe

Then turn the hoodie right way out, and topstitch along the length to secure the zipper. This can be a very frustrating process as the fabric moves and bunches, so take your time. Also, this is easier with a thicker hoodie.

Hoodie with zipper stitched in place
Photo by chebe

Step Five; Hem the unpicked hood bits, and use them to cover the top of the zipper. Trim zipper if needed. Forgive yourself for not getting it all perfect. And you're done.

Zippie
Photo by chebe

Step Six; Wear in comfort. (I used fabric paint to tone down the chest print.)

Zippie, modelled
Photo by chebe