How to Make a Hood (DIY Pattern and Sewing)

Turn any t-shirt or sweatshirt into a hoodie by learning how to make a hood. All you have to do is make a few simple measurements, sew a couple of seams, and you’re all ready to join your hood to your favorite shirt or sweater. Make a hood in a bright, contrasting color that matches your personality. In this tutorial, I will show you how to make a hood pattern either from scratch or by tracing over an existing one, and how to sew a hood.

How to Make a Hood (Step by Step)

The first thing you need to do when learning how to make a hood is to create the pattern. There are 2 ways you can do this – by tracing another you have in your cupboard or by making a custom pattern.

Method	Difficulty	Trace the existing hood
Trace existing hood	Easy	Beginners
Draft custom pattern	Medium	Perfect fit

You can make a pattern really quickly by tracing around a hoodie you already have in your wardrobe. Here is how:

1. Take a hood you have from a garment in your cupboard.
2. Fold it so the center seam is at the back, and the front openings match. Take time to smooth out all fabric wrinkles and get everything quite symmetrical.
3. Lay it flat on a piece of paper and trace around the edge. Carefully replicate the bottom edge as well. I usually draw an inch or so, lift the hood to check, then continue. You will usually find that the opening edge is lower than the back.
4. Add seam allowance around your pattern. A standard seam allowance is 1/2 inch (12mm) or 5/8 inch (15mm). The seam allowance at the neck should match that of the neck of the garment you are attaching to the hood.

Make a Custom Hood Pattern

This tutorial will lead you through how to make a hood pattern from scratch as well as how to sew a hood. Grab a large piece of paper. Sticking a couple of pieces of printer paper together is easiest. You could mark directly on the fabric but I find it is better to draw on paper in case you make a mistake.

You will need to make a couple of measurements for your DIY hood:

• Shoulder to the top of your head – This will give us the height of the hood.
• Around the neck of the item, you will be attachingit to – Note this is the shirt’s neck and not your actual neck. This will be around the garment’s neck from one side of the opening to the next. Generally, the garment neck measurement will be at least 4 inches (10cm) larger than your actual neck. You don’t want the hood to strangle you!

Step 1 – Draw the Bottom Edge

Draw the bottom edge. This will be a length of half your neck measurement. If is half the neck since there will be 2 pieces.

Angle the bottom front 1 inch (2.5cm) lower than the back. This is to make the hood more comfortable by having a slightly larger opening at the front. Smooth out the line like in the picture below.

Step 2 – Front Edge Opening

Draw the front opening straight up. The length of this line will be your shoulder-to-head measurement plus 4 inches (10cm). If you want a really loose hood, then you can go as long as 6 extra inches.

Step 3 – Add the Back

Draw a squared line from the back and front opening. This will help guide you in shaping the back of the hood. Draw a curved line to shape the back. The inside curve is about 2-3 inches (5-7.5cm) from the back corner.

Step 4 – Add Seam Allowance

Add seam allowance to your pattern all the way around. I like to add 1/2 inch (12mm) as this is easy to sew. Ideally, the seam allowance should match that of the neck of your garment. Cut your paper pattern out around the seam allowance line (not your original line). All ready to start cutting fabric now! The rest is really easy.

How to Sew a Hood Instructions

Here are the sewing instructions for how to make a hood:

Step 1 – Cutting Out

Fold your fabric in half so you will get mirror images of the pattern. Cut 2 from the outside fabric and 2 from the inside fabric. The selvage of the fabric should be aligned to the straight edge of the front.

Step 2 – Stitch the Back Seam

Put the outside hood pieces right sides together and stitch the center seam. Use the seam allowance of your pattern. Repeat for the lining. Clip the curves.

Step 3 – Press

Press open the seams. It is a little awkward, but just make them look the best you can.

Step 3 – Join

Put the lining and outside right sides together. Stitch the outside. You will be leaving the bottom open still. Take care to match the center seams. You may want to topstitch along this edge but I like it left as is. It will depend on whether your fabric is sitting flat at the seam join.

Step 4 – Finishing

Turn the hood to the right side and press the front opening flap.

How to Attach a Hood to a Neckline

Your hood is all ready to attach to the neck of your shirt. When stitching to the neck, you will put the shirt and hood right sides together and straight stitch. Match the back center seam of the hood to the back center of the garment. You will stitch through both layers.

This seam will get a lot of wear and tear, so you may want to stitch over it twice. Use the seam allowance you added to the hood pattern. In my example, that was 1/2 inch (12mm).

Finish the seam to prevent it from fraying. A serger or zig-zag stitch can be used. A lot of hoodies have a piece of ribbon over the seam to make them more comfortable and less scratchy.

How to Make a Hood FAQs

In Conclusion

Now you know how to make a hood using either a custom pattern or by tracing an existing hoodie. This simple sewing project allows you to transform any garment into a comfortable and stylish hoodie. Once you’ve mastered the basic hood, you can experiment with different fabrics, linings, and styles to create unique designs. Put your hoodie on and feel fabulous and proud of the fact that you’ve learned how to make a hood! Shop downloadable sewing patterns with hoods from Treasurie.