Customize a Plain Hoodie: 4 Practical Tips

Who doesn’t love a hoodie? They are the go-to article of clothing for casual comfort, whether a printed or plain hoodie is cool. It is so easy to just pull on a hoodie and go. There is no reason why this practical piece cannot add a little fun to a look, too. A bit of time and some creativity can help transform the common hoodie into something that expresses the individuality of the wearer. A plain hoodie is a great canvas for the imagination.

It is Never too Early to Think About Costumes

Sure, all the stores will have rows and rows of those flimsy, funny, and whatnots costumes. They can be pretty expensive, and depending on location, may get hidden under a jacket anyway. A better solution may be to make a costume with a hoodie.

Not only can it be much cooler than the store-bought version, most can be done fairly last minute. Plus, a hoodie will keep both little and big kids warm day and night. Here’s just a few ideas:

• Shark
• Octopus
• Owl or any bird of prey
• Wolf, skunk, or any favorite mammal—just add ears!
• Unicorn
• Alien

With some planning it is easy to involve a whole gang and create a themed set of costumes for a group. All that is needed is a bunch of cheap plain hoodies, felt, and some sewing or gluing supplies, and a whole family can rock as a band of dinosaurs. A terrific tutorial for this project can be found on the web at Ginger & George.

Mock Ups

You can also get inspiration from mock ups for print ideas. DesignBundles.net has a lot to offer in this section. Their mock ups section for hoodies feature a lot of colors and fonts for when you want a design of your own. For many, the site has inspired them to dab in the printing business. Mock ups make it easy to see what a design would look on certain items – like the photo below. You can put an image, a quote, anything you like on particular colors of hoodies and change up the font colors to see which would match.

For beginners, designing a plain hoodie with a word or two in really pretty fonts would do. To see how your hoodie would come out, there are apps you could try by simply uploading your chosen design. You can even use DesignBundles’ design school to learn tricks and try many other designs.

You can go about cleaning your closet and upcycle some of your clothing. For example, your husband’s unworn shirt can be made into a dress for your little girl. Just cut the right size and sew appropriately. You can even bring it more life by printing some pop-out color and cute prints.

For the (Slightly Nerdy) Man That Has Everything

Finding that perfect gift for a guy can be challenging. Ideally, a gift would be both something meaningful and something he would actually use. Why not let a personalized hoodie come to the rescue? It can be the gift that keeps on giving. There are some great ideas out there for almost every kind of enthusiast. Here are a sampling of the possibilities:

• The Vulcan Salute. This one is even animated, sort of, if a zippered hoodie is used. Zipped up, the design is a drawing of a right hand. Unzipped halfway, the wearer is sending the message to live long and prosper. Find the template at Man Made DIY.
• The Gondor Hoodie. The hoodie may be the most Tolkien of casual clothing options. Any Ring fan would be delighted with a hoodie that sports the iconic tree design. Craft Sauce is the site that can help create the magic.

True to the Red, White, and Blue

One of the most striking, not to mention patriotic, transformations for a white hoodie is to recreate the Stars and Stripes. A healthy supply of fabric paint, some star cut outs, and a roll of tape can bring a wearable tribute to the flag to life.

There are any number of ways to make a hoodie unique. You can print a friend’s pet on a hoodie, a quote they like, or a citymap to their favorite city. A personalized hoodie makes a great gift. Hoodies are a perfect place to start for a one-of-a-kind costume. They are also terrific mementos for a family reunion. With a good set of instructions and the right craft materials, creating an original hoodie may be half the fun.

Who knows, your designed hoodie could make it big one day! Start designing now and see where it goes.