Thread Theory Designs Finlayson Sweater

Sewing for Men

From Thread Theory: This sweater is a grown up version of the classic hoodie. It will be a wardrobe staple due to its cozy boxy shape and hard wearing cuffed hems but there is no worry of looking like a slob while wearing it!

Early in 2022 I participated in a sewing challenge and my focus was free patterns from Canadian designers/pattern companies. This was a great exercise as it introduced me to new-to-me companies. One of those companies is Thread Theory.

When I decided to make something for my husband, I remembered Thread Theory and purchased the Finlayson patterns for a hoodie. This was not a free pattern however, I thought it was well worth the money because it’s a basic. (*Note – all of the companies I discovered in my challenge are included in my Resources page.)

The pattern is well drafted and easy to use. There’s one set of notches missing – you mark a notch on the bottom edge of the hoodie but there is not a corresponding mark on the bottom band. Not a big deal but worth noting.

This pattern was appealing because of the way the hood is attached – more like a shawl collar than just a hood stuck on in place of a collar or collar stand.

Fabric

Sweatshirt fleece from Fabricland West (Canada). It’s a nice fabric (that means expensive!) that wasn’t difficult to sew. Ideally, I would have used ribbing for the hem and cuffs. Next time …

Alterations

No alterations! Gosh, it’s easy sewing for a guy. Granted, it is a sweatshirt …

I cut a straight L for my husband. Because this is a relatively slim fitting design, I stitched the side seams at 1 cm to give him a bit more breathing room.

Embellishments

The inspiration for the embellishments was his BMW motorcycle – it’s blue, black and chrome as is the BMW logo. And his helmet is red (check out the embroidered rider). For embellishments I focused on things that were: a) masculine, b) sporty and c) not over the top because he’s not an over the top guy. 😆

My husband is a motorcyclist and anything BMW will be worn!

LEFT SLEEVE: I wanted a design that was simple and conveyed speed since he likes to ride fast. On the left sleeve I sewed on a stripe that is made up of two layers of grosgrain ribbon (1″ black with 3/8″ ivory layered over). The ribbons were first attached using Steam a Seam and then stitched along the edge.

RIGHT FRONT CHEST: He asked me to incorporate a BMW logo that he had sitting in a drawer. “You can sew it on with your machine.” Yeah, it’s rubber. It was stitched on by hand using topstitching thread.

BACK: I used my Brother ScanNCut machine to scan the logo for the model of his motorcycle then cut it from heat transfer vinyl and ironed it on. I haven’t used this machine much so this was absolutely the most challenging part of the whole project and took the most time.

INSIDE BACK FACING: The inside back facing got the most attention.I embroidered a motorcycle rider (with a red helmet), attached some grosgrain ribbon to finish/smooth the back neck seam and sewed on a Kylie & the Machine label.

He likes things that are relatively understated so this has enough accents and embellishments to make it unique but it isn’t so over the top that he won’t wear it out of the house 😁