He even helped me while I was sewing, which made the process magical… until the moment of truth: assembling everything and realizing it’s a bit tight in the upper arms. Argghhh — I should have measured him before cutting!
The good news? The pattern is the same Burda/Simplicity Man Hoodie 6718, but I added a zipper. That meant I made the front as one piece, then split it in two to insert the zipper — as shown in this convenient video. Honestly, without that zipper, getting it on him would’ve required both strategy and negotiation.
But on the positive side — I will wear it with pleasure, so I officially have a new statement piece in my wardrobe!! Cozy, colorful, quilted, and with a zipper — what’s not to love?
So, lets start with the process!
I started with cutting the fleece as a base, but using batting or flannel is perfect too (you could even recycle an old thinner blanket for this — it adds beautiful loft and sustainability to the project). This base acts as both your stabilizer and your quilting layer, so there’s no separate quilting step at the end.
image courtesy of Art Gallery Fabrics
It’s always so satisfying turning simple strips into dynamic patchwork panels. Of course, there's a handy strip roll with already pre-cut 2.5" strips, so it's perfect for this project!
I started by cutting all my Soar fabrics (all 16 prints) and some new and old Seedling prints into 2.5" x 21" strips.
From older Seedling colors, I used Licorice, Sage, Shitake, Copper, Clay and Pewter. So 16 Soar prints and 10 total of Seedling colors (4 new + 6 old colors).
I have cut 2 (two)- WOF (2.5" x 42") strips from each of these these 26 fabrics and then subcut all the strips in half for easier strip-sets making.
It's like 130" x 42" total of fabrics used for the patchwork. I had some leftovers, though...
From there, I created strip sets of varying widths, from 3 to 8 strips per set. The process is straightforward, but a few little tips make all the difference: change your sewing direction as you stitch the strips together. This helps prevent bowing or curving of the strip sets, keeping everything nice and straight. After stitching each set, I pressed the seams — careful open seams pressing is key for smooth, flat sets.
Once pressed, it was time for my secret weapon: the Stripology squared ruler. Using this handy tool, I cut the strip sets into new, perfectly even patchwork strips — ready to assemble into the larger design.
This technique is perfect for creating structured, versatile patchwork, and it’s especially fun when mixing fabrics of different colors, textures, or patterns. Every set feels like a mini quilt in itself, and the possibilities are endless!
Instead of sewing patchwork blocks first and quilting later, each fabric strip is added directly onto the batting base. I began from the bottom — placing the first strip right side up and stitching it down with a simple straight stitch at the bottom.
From there, I added the next strip right sides together, just like traditional patchwork. After stitching the seam, I flip the new piece open and press it flat. Because it’s attached to the batting underneath, it’s already quilted in place.
Piece by piece, adding strips in rows, going up, trying to maintain good alignment, until you reach the upper edge of the base.
Beside fabrics for the patchwork strips and flannel or fleece for the base or lining, (calculate at least 2-3 yds for the patchwork and the same for the base) you will need around 1.5-2 yds of the trimming for wrist cuffs and waistline or some kind of jersey fabric that can be cut in strip, folded and used as ribbing. And a zipper. I used the 60 cm one.
Again, you can watch this convenient video for adding the zipper.
I made a following video while sewing my first hoodie, it could be helpful to watch.
The patchwork method is the same, only that this time I used only 2.5" strips while in the first video/hoodie, I used different strip widths.
I really hope that you may find this inspiring and I really think that this is amazing way to use some loved fabric scraps and quilt blocks and leftovers! And I think that it's easier than making a jacket or coat, so maybe worth trying before sewing something a bit more delicate.
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