How to make a plush hoodie

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one outfit for a 20 cm plush)

• Main fabric (light cotton jersey or sweatshirting) — about 25 × 30 cm
• Hook-and-loop tape, 1 cm — about 6 cm
• Size 9 needle and fine thread

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Fandom” → “Plush hoodie” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the chest, length and the rest. Presets cover 10, 15 and 20 cm plushies and a 27 cm doll.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Measure the plush
   Chest at its widest, and the length you want from the shoulder. Two plushies both sold as "20 cm" can be quite different, so measure yours.
2. Trace the pattern
   Lay the pattern on the wrong side and trace both lines. At this scale a fine chalk pencil works better than a marker.
3. Cut the pieces
   If the fabric frays, seal the edges or zigzag them straight away.
4. Transfer the notches
   The smaller the garment, the more the notches matter. Do not skip them.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the shoulders

1. Place the two fronts and the back right sides together and sew both shoulders.
2. Seam allowance 5 mm.

4-2. Make the hood

1. Place the two hood pieces right sides together and sew the back curve.
2. Turn the face opening under 5 mm and stitch.
3. It is small, so ease the corners out with an awl once turned.

4-3. Attach the hood

1. Sew the lower edge of the hood to the neckline, right sides together.
2. Match the hood's back seam to the center back before you start. Out by a millimetre or two and the hood faces sideways.

4-4. Sleeves, sides and hem

1. Turn the sleeve openings under 5 mm and stitch first.
2. Place front and back right sides together and sew from the sleeve opening to the hem in one run.
3. Hem the bottom and the front edges, and add two or three pieces of hook-and-loop.

✏️ Match the hood's back seam to the center back before sewing. A plush hood is small enough that a millimetre or two of error turns the face to one side. If pins will not hold, take one basting stitch first.

5. Tips & variations

• Avoid thick fabric: fleece-backed and boa fabrics will not stand up on the head.
• Add ears: catching ears in the hood makes it a cat-ear hoodie. The ear piece from the plush kigurumi pattern fits.
• Seam allowance is 5 mm: at 1 cm the allowances collide and the garment will not turn out cleanly.
• Size 9 needle, fine thread: a heavy needle leaves holes in the fabric.
• Mock it up in paper: assembling it once in interfacing or copy paper shows up any problem with length or ease.