Hood + Slip Stitching Tutorial
Pictured above is the Pheasant Dress with a hood - The sample shown in the tutorial below also uses a hood from the Pheasant Dress
This tutorial will show you how to attach a hood to a garment using an easy bagged technique. The hood is then finished with a small amount of slip stitching for a neat closure. As the technique requires the entire garment to be contained inside the hood, JMD recommends attaching the hood prior to sewing any sleeves or skirt to the garment.
Hood
Steps 1-3
1. Sew the neck darts on the hood pattern pieces. Press the darts on one mirrored pair to face towards each other and press the darts on the other mirrored pair to face away from each other.
2. Sew the back and top of each mirrored pair RS together, leaving the front and bottom edge open. Cut small notches along the curved seam allowance without cutting through the seam. Press seams open using a tailor’s ham or towel.
3. With RS facing each other, align the hoods at the top-middle seam and sew the front of the two hood pieces together, leaving the bottom edge open. Cut small notches along the curved seam allowance without cutting through the seam.
4. Turn the hood right-side out. Select one RS side to be the outer hood. (If using the same fabric for the inner and outer hood, either RS side can be selected).
Folding back the facing edge
With RS together, pin the outer hood to the bodice back. Begin by matching the center back hood seam to the bodice center back and pin outwards. Sew together, taking care not to sew the Hooded Front Bodice Facing or to sew past the corner of the outer hood onto the inner hood. (The hooded bodice facing can be folded or pinned out of the way if needed).
Gray Fabric: Right side; White Fabric: Wrong Side
Notch
5. Cut a small notch in the bodice right next to each end of the outer hood seam. The notch should be cut to the end of the seam allowance (.5in/12mm) without cutting past it. This step allows for the edges of the hood to lie flat.
Note for the Pheasant Dress: The steps are the same if sewing the Scoop Neck Empire Bodice Collar, although the cut will be made through both the bodice and collar fabric layers.
6. With the hood’s WS facing outwards, stuff the entire garment inside the hood.
Match the inner and outer hood together at their center seams. Pin the hoods together near each dart as depicted, leaving enough space in between to turn the entire garment right-side out.
Corner
Sew from each corner of the hood to their closest pin, taking care not to sew past the edge of the inner hood or catch any other part of the garment in the inner hood seam.
7. Turn the hood right-side out. Press along the hood’s edges.
Turn the inner hood opening’s seam allowance under by .5in/6mm and pin in place. Slip stitch the opening closed. JMD also recommends adding a few stitches (by machine or hand) behind the ends of the notches made in Step 5 to secure them and to keep them from tearing.
Slip stitching
8. Thread a needle and knot the tail. A single thread is preferred to a double thread in this instance.
Position the hood so that the pinned opening is at the top. (These instructions are written working from right to left, as I find that to be easier for hand-sewing, but feel free to adjust if needed).
9. For the first stitch, push the needle through the underside of the top folded edge so that the knot is hidden.
10. Working right to left, take a small stitch along the top folded edge.
Just two seam allowance threads are caught by the needle in this picture to the left of the sewing thread. (This is also illustrated in the graphic above Step 9 and above Step 12)
11. Continuing to work right to left, take a very small stitch along the hood seam allowance that you are trying to cover. Ideally, you only want to catch a few threads of the seam allowance with your needle as close to the seamline as possible.
12. Repeat steps 10 and 11 until the opening is sewn shut. The slip-stitching can be finished with a small knot or a few backstitches.
Finished Slip Stitching
Back Hood View