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Home » Blog » Craft Tutorials » DIY Hoodie with Rapture from Art Gallery Fabrics

DIY Hoodie with Rapture from Art Gallery Fabrics

Created On: January 6, 2014  |  Updated: January 6, 2014  |   19 Comments

Rapture Zippered Hoodie

I was one of the lucky bloggers who was sent a fat quarter bundle of Pat Bravo’s newest line, Rapture. This is such a fun line, and everyone I know who has seen it has fallen for the fabrics in it. I love that it has a great variety of larger prints and smaller prints, making it a great choice for almost any project. Which is where I ran into a problem…. what to make? Of course I could put together a quilt using Rapture, but while I wanted to be able to wrap myself up in the fabric, I wasn’t up for making another quilt in 2013. So I found a great compromise – a zippered DIY hoodie using Rapture from AGF. I spend most of the winter in jeans and a hoodie, so this way I can wrap myself in the fabrics all day long – and still get my errands done!

My inspiration came from the appliqued sweaters quilters of the ’80s and ’90s made… but an updated version. I wanted my DIY hoodie to be a modern take on those sweaters.

If you want to make your own quilted hoodie, here is what you need:

Fabric (I used FQs of Rapture by Art Gallery)
Zippered Hoodie
Freezer Paper
Fusible Fleece
Pen
Basic Sewing tools, such as a Seam Ripper, Pins, Iron, Sewing Machine

I started by prepping the sweater. This meant using a seam ripper and scissors to carefully remove the front pockets. Then I ironed a large sheet of freezer paper to one of the front panels of the sweater, then used a pen to mark the outline, making a template. I turned the hood wrong-side-out, and made a template of the hood shape as well.

I prepped the fabric by selecting the fat quarters I wanted to use. I cut a variety of different sized strips, including a wide strip of one of the larger patterns. I stitched the strips together to make what looked like a striped piece of fabric.

I ironed the templates onto the fabric. The large front panel was ironed onto the right side of the pieced fabric, and the hood was ironed onto the wrong side of my chosen fabric.

patterns made for quilting hoodie

I trimmed around the outside of each piece, adding a seam allowance as I cut.

I stitched the hood on first. I cut two of the hood pieces, one in reverse of the other. I put the two pieces right sides together, and stitched around the curve (the back seam of the hood), then pulled off the freezer paper. Then I cut the curve and pressed the seam open.

stitch and clip curves

I pinned the hood piece to the inside of the hood.

Pin fabric in the hoodie lining

All the raw edges were turned over and pinned under.

I stitched the fabric on all the way around, then stitched down the center seam (through the sweater and fabric), to make sure the hood would stay in place even after washing.

stitched hoodie lining

On to the body piece! I put it on the sweater, and using my fingernail put a slight crease along the seam lines. I was then able to take the piece to the ironing board, and easily press the raw edges over.

mark edge with fingernail

I pinned the piece in place all the way around.

Pin panel in place

After stitching the body piece in place all the way around, I quilted it down. I did a “stitch in the ditch” on each seam, stitching down each seam where two fabrics meet. On the large strip, I stitched around the motif to secure the large piece in place.

panel stitched in place

top stitch in place

Next was the pockets. I put the pockets I had taken off in place, to gauge the size. I knew I wanted to add larger pockets, so I cut rectangles the size I wanted the pockets. I then cut a second set of rectangles for the inside of the pockets. Using a pen, I drew a curve for the pocket opening, and trimmed the fabric along this curve.

check pocket placement

Two layers of woven cotton don’t provide a whole lot of warmth on a windy day, so I put a layer of fusible fleece on the lining piece of each pocket.

To make the pockets, I put the outside and inside pocket pieces right sides together, then stitched all the way around, leaving a hole for turning. I clipped the corners to reduce bulk.

stitch around pocket and trim corners

After turning, I added two lines of topstitching around the curve to give it a finished look. I also quilted down around the flowers, just like I did on the body of the sweater.

top stitch pocket

I pinned each pocket in place, then topstitched them down, making sure to go back and forth at the beginning and end to secure the stitches.

Rapture Fabric on a Zippered Hoodie

For fun, I trimmed off a piece of the selvedge from the fabric, and top stitched it onto the label.

selvedge on the tag

Once it was done, I ran it through the wash. The washer and dryer softened the fusible fleece so that the pockets were perfect instead of stiff, and the fabric washed beautifully.

My friend Gina from Mom’s Lifeboat was over, so she took some photos of me in my new sweater.

Zippered Hoodie with Rapture Fabric

We also discovered that I have no future as a fashion model. I can’t say that I’m that broken up over it.

I have no future as a model

Zippered Rapture Hoodie

We did manage a few decent photos.

Sweater with Rapture Fabric

I’ve already worn my new DIY hoodie out and about, and gotten tons of compliments on it! I think this is a great way to have some fun with beautiful lines of fabric – ones that are worth living in.

posted in: Craft Tutorials, Sewing, Sewing Tutorials

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Gina H says

    January 8, 2014

    I must say the DIY hoodie was even more beautiful in person! Thanks for letting snap the pics.

    Reply
  2. CJ says

    January 9, 2014

    LOVE THIS! Thanks so much for sharing this tutorial. I’d love to make something like this. Did you wash/shrink the fabric first?

    Reply
    • Carolina says

      January 9, 2014

      CJ – no, I didn’t wash the fabric at all. I did lightly starch it, but that’s just because I prefer working with fabrics that have a little more stiffness to them. I actually wanted the fabrics to crinkle a bit, to make the quilting really shine.

      Reply
  3. Teje says

    February 8, 2014

    Hi! Your idea was fantastic and you made this so beautifully!

    Reply
  4. Gwen says

    March 3, 2019

    This is really cute! I can’t wait to try it! Maybe you could put it in a utube??

    Reply
  5. Cindy Roth says

    September 15, 2020

    Hello Carolina,
    I’m not sure if you still check this… I wondered if you needed to do anything to ensure the sweatshirt didn’t loose all of it’s stretch. I did a similar piecing applique on a hoodie last year. But it was a form fitting one. After I was done, I couldn’t zip it up, lol. Do I just need to make sure that I choose one that doesn’t need to stretch next time?

    Reply
    • Carolina says

      September 30, 2020

      I used a baggier sweatshirt, so that is probably the trick. Woven fabric does not have much stretch to it, so it would not work with a snug sweater. Although, you could probably do this technique with knit fabrics, and it should work!

      Reply
      • Cindy Roth says

        December 28, 2020

        Thank you for answering my question, Carolina!

        Reply
  6. Denby says

    October 12, 2021

    This is cool and exciting! I appreciate the tutorial and your work.

    Reply
  7. Homyclean says

    May 16, 2023

    I’m absolutely in awe of the DIY Hoodie you created using Rapture fabric from Art Gallery Fabrics! The combination of the vibrant colors and intricate patterns truly brings the hoodie to life. Your attention to detail and craftsmanship are commendable. The fabric choice is superb, as it not only looks visually stunning but also feels incredibly soft and comfortable. It’s inspiring to see how you transformed the fabric into a stylish and personalized garment. I’m inspired to try my hand at creating my own hoodie using Art Gallery Fabrics after seeing the beautiful results you achieved. Great job!

    Reply
    • Carolina says

      May 24, 2023

      wow, thanks! high praise! <3

      Reply
  8. Lori says

    June 3, 2023

    Love this tutorial! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Carolina says

      March 20, 2024

      My pleasure!

      Reply
  9. DWolff says

    November 9, 2023

    Thank you for the turtorial. The jacket came out beautiful. On my list to try!

    Reply
    • Carolina says

      March 20, 2024

      thanks! I’ve made several of these – so fun!

      Reply
  10. Mindy says

    November 23, 2024

    Just the tutorial I was looking for for a stained mom hoodie that only has marks down the front. Adding to Pinterest. Thanks from years later 🙂

    Reply
    • Carolina says

      January 8, 2025

      This is perfect for covering stains on a favorite hoodie!

      Reply
  11. Carol pettett says

    December 16, 2024

    I like the hoodie. I think I will make one too

    Reply
    • Carolina says

      January 8, 2025

      Yay! it is super fun!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Carolina!

I’m a Quilt Pattern Designer, Award Winning Quilter, and fan of all things quilting. I live in San Diego with my husband, our two boys and our pets. I love keeping both my hands and mind busy, so I’m always working on lots of projects. You’ll find lots of them shared here!

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