Easy DIY: Hoodie to Cowl Neck
I love sweatshirts because they’re comfortable and they have a big pocket. I’m not so keen on the hood and how casual they look. So, I decided to change my hoodie to a cowl neck. The first step is the cut off the hood. Either use a seam ripper or, if you’re impatient, just cut along the seam.
Next, take the hood and trim off what would be the back of the hood.
Take the hood and sew the bottom shut to make a tube.
Turn the tube inside out and pin it to the neckline of the sweatshirt. You’ll have to play around with the fabric as the hood is a little wider than the neckline. I put in little pleats/folds at equal places along the neckline and you wouldn’t notice them. I also placed the drawstring at the back to add a different detail with the grommets and tie.
Sew along the neckline. Turn down the cowl neck and you’re finished. The drawstring of the hood can be used to adjust the cowl.
Can you help me with a couple of details? When you pin it to the sweatshirt do you pin both sides of the tube or just one side? Also, I am assuming you pin it from the inside and then flop it to the outside? I guess I need to just try one to figure it out but thought I would ask anyway… thanks for the tutorial – been wanting to find one that uses the hood….I actually cleaned out my closet today and have several sweatshirts waiting for a refashion.
I pinned the tube all the way around the neck opening. This allowed for any adjustments since the tube is a little wider than the opening. And, yes, I pinned it from the inside so the seam is then hidden when the cowl is flipped to the outside. Good luck! Let me know if you have any other questions.
What a wonderful idea! I will definitely be doing this!
Thanks! Let us know how it turns out when you do.
This is awesome! I just did my first sweatshirt and it worked perfectly. Took less then 30 minutes.
So happy to hear that!
I tried this and loved it! Thank u sooooo much
Awesome! So happy to hear that!
That said, help me visualize how to turn a big ol’ cowl into a hoodie. I have a sweatshirt that I would like to convert to a hoodie.
I think it would depend on the neckline. If it’s a regular one under the cowl, you could:
1. completely remove it
2. cut to the size of hood you want
3. stitch one end shut
4. hem edge (allowing room for a shoelace if you want to be able to cinch it)
5. pin to opening and sew