Merino Hoodies Sewn From Thrifted Sweaters

Several weeks ago, a local chain of thrift shops had a 99 cent sweater sale. I found many merino sweaters, though only a few cashmere sweaters to repurpose as mitten linings. What to do with the merinos after they were machine-washed and dried? For starters, these two hiking/workout hoodies. Some had holes, some shrunk more than others during laundering, so I cut apart and pieced them together to fit my patterns. Both were an experiment of combining sweatshirt patterns with a close-fitting balaclava pattern instead of a traditionally looser sweatshirt hood, and the results turned out well. The hoods are cozy neck gaiters when not in use, fit easily over baseball-style brimmed hats, and do not need a cumbersome drawcord. The face edges of both of these hoods were finished with ribbing harvested from the sweaters. 

Outer front with large kangaroo pocket. This grey/black combo has longer cuffs with thumb openings.

Back:

Outer front with exposed serged seams:

Front pocket open edges finished with ribbing harvested from the sweaters:

 

Winter Hardshell Pants Receive Side Gussets

This pair of non-stretch winter hardshell pants were purchased in approximately 1995 or 1996. They haven't been worn much for several years and were now a bit too snug for hiking/snowshoeing uphill, but the outer and inner fabrics, waistband hook & loop, bottom snaps, and YKK 2-way fully separating side zippers are all in good shape. How to revive them for a current outer layer? I added gussets to the upper sides, moved portions of the zipper tape accordingly, and altered the velcro top closures by adding 1" webbing, D-rings, and additional loop tape at the front waistband. While seams were open, I replaced the back waistband elastic. Now they will easily accommodate any base and mid layers for extreme winter weather. 

Do you have clothing or gear that needs an adjustment? Contact me for a free cost estimate. 

After:

Gussets:

Before: