Month 12: I did it! I completed 12 months of reworking, rejigging, re-creating. And now . . . relief. Here is the final (for now) project for my Year of “Re” challenge: It’s “redo,” and it starts with a sumo-sized hoodie that made its way into my closet.

I can’t remember if I purchased the hoodie as a gift that never happened, or someone gave it to me. There it was, though, not being moved on or used, abandoned to the bottom drawer with mom jeans and shoulder pads. I’m guessing the reason it was still hanging around was that it was made of a nice textured cotton fleece. Plus, there was a lot of it to work with. When I tried it on, I knew it would require a bit of “redoing” if it was going to make its way into the wardrobe rotation. I have been seeing a lot of oversized garments in ready-to-wear designer portfolios, but there is a difference between “oversized” and just “too darned big.”

Redo Without a Plan

I really had no plan. What is the best thing to do when you have no plan? Tear something apart, of course.

I didn’t know what parts of my monster hoodie I would want, so I carefully left as much usable acreage as possible. I removed the bottom ribbing and the hood first.

When I tried on the newly un-hooded hoodie, I was pleasantly surprised.  The new neckline and the fullness in the body looked good. Even the length was acceptable.

Scaling Down an Oversized Look

It still needed something to scale it from “too darned big” to nicely oversized.  The sleeves were way too long, even for my long arms, and they were too generous in the upper arm area. I chopped off the cuffs, leaving…