When I became a stay at home mom two years ago, I had to decide what my new style would be. I was determined not to live in sweats, but I wasn’t going to dress in nice clothes all of the time either…with four kids age five and under, someone always has sticky hands or something that they are getting me dirty with :)
So I started to find a happy medium of casual wear…but just couldn’t seem to part with my collection of hoodies.
Many of them held good memories and of course the comfort is unparalleled. So…what to do with them???
I started thinking that there had to be a way to re-purpose them…
And it turns out that with just a couple of cuts and two seams you can show your school pride AND still have a waist :)
Quick & Easy DIY Hoodie Makeover
STEP 1: Mark the Waist
First, put the sweatshirt on and mark where you would like the waistband to fall. We went with an empire waist height which seems to be the most flattering on all body types.
STEP 2: Make three Cuts
Cut 1: First make the vertical cut from top to bottom that will create the front opening in the sweatshirt. I cut it free hand, but if you don’t trust yourself, you could always use a straight edge.
Cut 2: Cut the waistband off of the bottom of the sweatshirt. When cutting, try and leave the original seam attached to the bottom of the sweatshirt, this way it doesn’t need to be hemmed at all.
Cut 3: Cut the waist line where you marked it in step one.
STEP 3: Sew the waistband/drawstring casing back on
Beginning at the opening you cut in the front of the sweatshirt, use a zig zag stitch to attach the waist band first to the upper half of the sweatshirt and then a second zig zag seam to attach it to the bottom.
STEP 4: Finishing Touches
Once you have the waistband sewed back on, zig zag stitch each side of the front opening to finish the edges. (Just don’t sew closed the openings for the drawstring!)
Then remove the drawstring from the hood and thread it through the waistband casing, you’ll see that it creates a natural cavity for it!
As a final step, to make the sweatshirt a little more fitted, I also turned it inside out and took in the sleeves by about an inch.
DIY Hoodie Makeover: The Final Product!
So here it is…proof that you can have school spirit AND a waistline! Or, that you can still wear hoodies as a stay at home mom and not look frumpy :)
If you have any questions, please post below!
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