How to add a zipper to a hooded sweatshirt

Have you ever bought a hoodie and then had a hard time getting it through your head because the neck opening is too small? 

I rarely wear hooded shirts just because I don't like to wear anything in my head anyway and there's no point in having a hood if you're not wearing it...But I do have to buy hooded sweatshirts as part of my kids' school uniform and I quickly get tired of them complaining about the opening not being large enough, and hurting their ears when they're getting dressed and so on. Let's just say that my mornings are complicated enough already, I don't need any extra stress. 

So, ever since my son went to pre-school when he was three years old, I've developed a quick method to add a zipper to those hoodies. That way they are easier to dress, but you're able to keep the neckline high enough to keep you warm. 

So, here's a small tutorial in case you ever need to add a zipper to a hooded shirt. 

First thing you need to do is to have a look at the way front of the hood is joined with the neck of the shirt. If it overlaps slightly like mine, use a seam ripper (or scissors) to remove stitches. You are going to cut the front of the shirt, so there can be no overlapping. 

Insert a cutting mat (or a piece of thick cardboard) into the shirt, so that you can cut it safely. 

Find the middle of the shirt, and then measure the size of your zipper. You will be cutting down the front of the shirt until a point just slightly above the bottom of your zipper. 

Place the zipper in place and slightly fold the cut edges inward. Pin in place all around the sides and bottom of the zipper. Personally I prefer to use some temporary stitches rather than pins, so in this case I used a contrasting color to show you how I do it. 

Then all you need to do is sew the zipper in place. Machine sewing is the fastest way to do it, but you can do it by hand too. 

Start on one side and sew down towards the bottom of the zipper. Add a few extra stitches at the bottom (using your machine's backwards button), and then sew back up the other side. 

If you removed stitches from the top at the beginning, you need to sew them back on (if your hood overlapped at the neck, you may need to fold the edges lightly inward and sew in place). Otherwise, you're done, and you can start using your new zippered hooded sweatshirt! 

Happy Tuesday,