DIY a Dinosaur Hoodie with free pattern

This post originally appeared on The Sewing Rabbit and today I'm bringing it home. This sweatshirt is still Henry's favorite and it's a crisis when it's in the wash! :)

Autumn is here! Fall is by far my favorite season with the cooler weather, falling leaves, and comfy clothes. Bring on the hooded sweatshirts!

Hoodies are one of those things that are easy to make...but also pretty inexpensive to buy in the store. So if you're going to go through the process of sewing your own hoodies, why not make them unique and fun? There are tons of personal touches you can add to a hoodie pattern to make it special for your kids. And trust me, when you make a dinosaur hoodie, your little one won't want to take it off!

Believe it or not, I made a hoodie for each of my four kids using the same pattern. With a few tweaks here and there each one became a custom piece perfect for their unique personalities. Below are the instructions you need to DIY a dinosaur hoodie, and you can get the details on the rest of the sweatshirts I made here.

The dinosaur hoodie is one of my favorites and perfect for this time of year, fun...but not too costume-y. It's also really easy and quick to make. Want to make one too? Here's how:

First you'll need a hooded sweatshirt pattern. I used McCall's M6782 but there are lots of indie patterns you can use as well. Any hooded sweatshirt pattern should work as long as it has a two piece hood (so the spikes will go down the center of the hood).

Once you have your pattern, you'll need to download and print the spike pattern here. I've included four different sizes of spikes you can use and labeled the number of each I used for a size 3T hoodie. You can use more or fewer spikes and if you are making a bigger sized hoodie, just cut out a few more spikes.

The steps to sew on the spikes are simple:
Step 1: Place your two felt spike pieces wrong sides together and sew around two of the sides with a narrow seam allowance.

Step 2: Turn the spikes right side out and press them. Then place the spikes along one of your hood fabric pieces to get the spacing of the spikes the way you want.

Step 3: When you're happy with your spike placement, line up the raw edges of your spikes with the raw edge of the right side of a hood piece. Then you'll simply place the other hood piece right side down, sandwiching the spikes inside the hood. Sew along the hood pieces using the seam allowance noted in your pattern.

Then continue sewing the hoodie according to the pattern instructions. That's it!

And if your little one is anything like mine, you'll get a few big roars when they get to test out their new dinosaur hoodie.

Don't forget to check out the hooded coat, knight, and ruffly pink sweatshirts I also made from the same pattern. And if you make a dinosaur hoodie we'd love to see it!

Happy sewing!