Hi! For this week’s edition of She’s Crafty, I met up with stylist Valissa Yoe, who works with streetwear brand Mishka NYC to create Manslaugher, a line of customized hoodies made from pieces in their stock.

Now this project takes a little more finessing than my last project because there is a sewing machine involved, but it was simple enough that we completed it in less than 2 hours.

Supplies Needed:

• 1 Hoodie
• Straight Pins
• Tailor’s Chalk
• Tailor’s Scissors (or very sharp scissors)
• Sewing Machine
• Long Necklace
• A Safety Pin
• Yardstick
• An Object To Trace (we used a pan)

We started with a one of a kind Miskha hoodie

Valissa started with a one of a kind Mishka hoodie, and decided to do circular cutouts on the sides, and add one of her favorite necklaces to replace the hood string.

Household objects may serve many purposes

To create the shape of the cutout, Valissa just pulled a pan off the shelf. When you’re crafty, objects around the house serve many purposes!

Top to bottom: Trace & Cut

She layed the hoodie flat on a table, and began by lining the pan up in the proper spot, following the curve of the pocket and traced it’s placement with tailor’s chalk on both sides of the hoodie.

Next, she cut the fabric entirely through (front and back of the hoodie) following the line of chalk with sharp tailor’s scissors.

Top To Bottom: Pinning and chalking the sleeves and removing excess fabric

Next, she put the hoodie on, and we used straight pins to create a rough line and armpit curve to follow later, leaving about an inch and a half to two inches of space between the actual arm, and the pin placement for seam allowance.

Using a yardstick and the pan again, Valissa created a precise line and curve with the tailor’s chalk, then followed that up with the scissors to remove the excess fabric.

Sewing. Sewing. Sewing. Sewing!

Next she took to the sewing machine. First starting at the wrist, she sewed the first seam to the armpit, closing the sleeve. Then the sweatshirt got turned inside out, and resewn along the seam allowance again to close and finish the seam. Both sleeves.

Next the circular cutout was folded in (evenly) and pinned in place. Then it was run through the sewing machine as well from top to bottom. Both sides.

Cut out and sleeve complete!

The cutout and sleeves are now complete.

Pull out that dang string!

Next, she removed the hoodie string….

Push the chain through the hood by using a safety pin

And replaced it with the long end of her necklace by pushing it through the hoodie inch by inch, anchored to a safety pin. You know that old trick, right?

Complete!

Aaaand we’re complete! Valissa named the finished piece EAT OUT.

The lovely Valissa models her creation

Now isn’t that fly? I’m super inspired. I’ve always wished I could alter mens sweatshirts, because I tend to favor the graphics on men’s clothes over those on women’s, but I want a better fit than the schlubby look most men’s hoodies provide. Mom dukes is getting our old sewing machine fixed and I’m about to GET TO SEWING!

Valissa Yoe can be contacted for styling work, and custom jobs to create this style and much much more through her website ValissaYoe.com

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