Modifying a hoodie - help?

January 30, 2014 4:29 AM

I own a Leipzig hoodie in navy from Modcloth (image here), and I'm interested in modifying it so it looks more like the navy-and-red version (image here), but with mustard accents instead of red. How do I do this? More details inside.

I will be consulting a tailor once they return from their Lunar New Year holiday, and I want to figure out how to communicate my needs to them, and maybe buy the fabric locally (I live in Singapore).

How should this alteration/makeover be accomplished - like what sort of fabric should be used for the mustard accents, and which parts should be replaced? Will the snaps on the pockets need to be replaced as well?

Also, is this feasible or reasonable for a tailor to do? If what I have in mind is actually very difficult, please let me know how I can realistically make my navy hoodie more mustardy.

posted by 35minutes to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (4 answers total)

The easiest way to achieve a two toned look to the existing navy hoodie would be to add some mustard colored pieces like patches, trim, rhinestones or other embellishments. You could also try fabric paint or stenciling.

A tailor can take the blue pieces out and add new fabric in a different color in. This would entail picking the hoodie apart at the shoulder and the pockets (to get the same effect as in the red-navy one). The flaps would need to be replaced and new snaps attached. If you want to go that route, pick a fabric that is similar in weight and stretch to the one of the hoodie.

Alternatively, a tailor could just sew custom patches on the existing pieces, somewhat like on this front pocket. For this you should pick lighter fabric with the same stretch as the hoodie, so it does not wrinkle.
posted by travelwithcats at 5:13 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

The pocket flaps will be pretty easy/cheap to replace but the storm flap will be expensive and hard because it is part of the shoulder/armscye seam. I'd do the pocket flaps, replace the drawstring, and maybe line the hood for my mustard accents as those will be simple. Also, Modcloth isn't generally known for its quality, so I'd be concerned with taking apart the shoulder on a Modcloth garment.
posted by melissasaurus at 7:41 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

The easiest way to do this is going to be with patches of the mustard fabric added on. They could cover the snaps entirely if you don't care about having visible snaps, or the patches could have small round holes for the snaps.

If you want the edges of the patches to look more finished than the one in travelwithcats's link, you could have the edges finished with a zigzag stitch, coverstitch, or satin stitch.
posted by yohko at 4:20 PM on January 30, 2014

Whether any other fabric is removed or not, it will work out best in the long run if you use fabric with the same stretch and fiber content. I think you could get away with the weight of the fabric being different even if you are removing and replacing flaps, as these garment areas probably aren't going to be under much stress in normal wear.

Also, a tailor _should_ be able to work with a stretch fabric like this IMO, but that doesn't mean that all tailors can. Look for someone who is known to work with this sort of fabric (a knit fabric).
posted by yohko at 4:25 PM on January 30, 2014