Butterick 6863

If you’ve embraced the athleisure look, try making a hoodie with above-average style. This Katherine Tilton design, a loose-fitting, thigh-length, zip-front jacket, contains 20-1/2 inches of wearing ease at the bust. It has dropped shoulders with narrow sleeves that are fitted from the biceps to the wrist; size S measures only 11-3/4 inches at the biceps level. It also has kangaroo pockets and a shirttail hemline longer in back by 3-1/2 inches. View A features a zipper with the exposed tape running along the full length of the center front, faced pocket opening edges, and 5/8-inch hems on the sleeves and hemline that are turned up and topstitched 1/2 inch from the fold. View B is more deconstructed, having raw edges along the pocket edges, sleeve hem, and hemline. The zipper is installed with the teeth showing. Both views have a self-lined hood with a drawstring. Each layer on the hood seam is finished with a flat-felled seam. The raw neckline seam can be covered with a strip of ribbon, self-fabric, twill tape, or a coordinating knit or woven bias strip that is hand-sewn in place. It is a well-illustrated pattern; all the sewing instructions are detailed, complete, and accurate, and every match point aligns. Use stable two-way stretch knits such as French terry, jacquard, and stretch velvet. This silhouette is perfect for athleisure activities or going to the gym. The only difficulty our tester encountered was lining up the pockets at center front because they are stitched on before the zipper is installed.

 

Our seamstress suggests:

• Interface the center front along the zipper opening.
• Fuse interfacing behind the buttonholes on the hood as an alternative to self fabric.

If you want your garment to be a standout, color blocking is one choice. Use contrasting colors on the following pieces: hood, sleeves, and pockets. Alternatively, take advantage of a double-sided knit fabric. This design is a candidate for topstitching, cover-stitching, and for installing a novelty zipper and decorative zipper pull. For the muslin, our tester used a ponte knit and found it too stiff. She recommends a lightweight drapey knit.

(Sized Misses’ XS-XXL [4–26] for busts 29-1/2–48 in.)

SomethingDelightful.com

—Tested by Patty Robison, Bellingham, Washington

Style tip: Consider using a fancy cording or ribbon for the drawstring. Alternatively, make your own cording from embroidery thread.

This review was originally published in Threads #218, Summer 2022. Have you made this pattern? If so, be sure to share pictures in our Readers Closet gallery.

Illustrations by Cassandra Bernier.