The Stars and Stripes Hoodie

Several months ago, I went to a clothing swap party where I picked up a few goodies that other people were exchanging. I found a gray hoodie in the pile of clothes. The gray was so light that it was almost white. I tried it on to find that it was a good fit. I thought it would make for a good cover up for days when I go jogging. And it was free, so why not?

Then as I was going through old pins on Pinterest, I saw this cute little number on my Fashion board. A stars and stripes hoodie!

I don’t normally like to wear anything too graphic or loud. Maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t lived in the USA for more than four years, but the American girl in me was screaming all kinds of “YESSSS!!” when I saw this.

My simple little gray hoodie that I picked up for nothing was upgraded from jogging cover to DIY project.

Supply List

• 1- white or gray hoodie
• 2- red fabric markers
• 2- blue fabric markers
• Some pins or colored chalk
• Star template (The one I used is no longer available, so I made a new one you can download. Just click on the link!)

Step-by-Step

Step 1

Determine the locations of your stripes. I used pins to mark them because I didn’t have any colored chalk. That would be the ideal tool to have for this. But then, I didn’t have to worry about erasing any lines using the pins.

Step 2

With the red pen, draw in horizontal lines at the bottom of the hoodie. I think the inspiration image shows the lines sort of wavy, although I’m not certain. I chose to draw mine straight. (Less chance of screwing up that way.)

 

With the blue pen, I drew in the line at the top of the hoodie where the field of stars would be. Then I used the star template to trace the stars on the upper part of the hoodie and the hood itself.

Step 3

(Not shown) Now the fun part! Color!!!! Just fill in the red stripes and field of blue. It’s so cool to see the design come together. This part takes the longest, so turn on a movie and settle in for a few hours. My markers ran out of ink halfway through coloring. In the end, I had to use two sets of each color. Perhaps fabric paint would work better and faster, but I had the markers on hand.

TIP: If you feel the color is too light, wait until the first layer of color dries before applying the second layer.

After you’ve finished coloring, this is where you can try on your new clothes and strut the runway.

Present your lovely creation (and ingenious idea of turning something plain into fabulous) to your Canadian husband who will ask you, “Are you going to be wearing that [in Canada]?” Promptly reply yes because you are a proud American no matter which country you’re living in!

If you’re wondering about the washability - don’t worry! It washes great and doesn’t bleed. But best to wash with darks anyway.

Not too shabby for a piece of clothing I picked up from a swap, huh? What do you think? Would you give this project a go?

PROJECT SUMMARY:
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Total Cost: You can buy a set of five colored markers, which includes the red and blue, from Michaels for $17 or $6.50 if you buy the marker separately. Of course, always use your 40% or 50% off coupon from Michaels. These prices are in Canadian. The amounts will be cheaper in the States. The hoodie was free.
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Total Time: Took me about six hours from start to finish.

I’ve linked up this project at these parties here.

Check out other cool finds from the same clothing swap party:

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