How to DIY a Comfy Orange Two Piece Set

Tools and materials:

• 3XL or larger men's hoodie
• Pair of well-fitting shorts
• Water-dissolvable fabric pen
• Pins
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Seam ripper
• Sewing machine with heavy duty needle

1. Mark cutting lines

Put the hoodie on and mark on the center front where you want the bottom of the crop top to be.

I put mine at belly-button height so I'd have enough fabric to make a pair of shorts.

Also mark the finished length of the sleeve on one arm.

2. Cut fabric

Lay the hoodie flat and match the side and underarm seams.

Use a ruler to extend your center front mark into a straight line across the front of the hoodie. Cut along the line through both layers.

3. Deconstruct hoodie

With a seam ripper, carefully remove the front pocket from the hoodie.

Remove the ribbing from the bottom of the hoodie in the same way. 

4. Cut out shorts

Lay the cut-off bottom section of the hoodie if necessary out flat.

Fold a well-fitting pair of shorts in half lengthways and place them on the fabric so the center back seam is on the fold and the back crotch seam is extended.

Trace around the shorts with the fabric pen, leaving a seam allowance. Cut along the marked line.

Flip the cut out section over, line it up against the fold on the other side and cut around it.

Cut along the fold lines on both pieces so you have 4 identical sections.

5. Sew center crotch seams

Place two pieces of the shorts together with right sides facing. Pin and stitch the curved crotch seam with a zigzag stitch.

Repeat with the other two pieces.

6. Attach pockets

Fold the pocket piece in half widthways and cut it along the fold.

Decide which is the front section of your shorts. Lay the pocket pieces on it, with the short straight edge lined up with the side seam on each side of the front.

Turn in a narrow hem along the four straight edges and pin the pockets in place. Top stitch on the right side with a straight stitch.

7. Side seams

Place the back section of the shorts over the front with right sides together and line them up carefully.

Pin the side and crotch seams and sew them together with a zigzag stitch.

8. Waistband and hem

Place the ribbed section of the hoodie that you cut off around your waist.

Pull it a little so it fits comfortably with some stretch. Cut off the excess and join the short ends together with a zigzag stitch.

Fold the waistband in half and half again widthways and mark the four sections with pins.

Tuck the waistband, right side out, inside the top of the shorts so the right sides are together.

Match the seam on the waistband with the center back seam of the shorts, the center of the waistband with the center front seam of the shorts and the two other marked sections with the side seams.

Pin in place to the top edge of the shorts, stretching the waistband slightly to fit.

Sew the waistband to the shorts with a zigzag stitch.

As my fabric is 100% cotton jersey it won't fray, so I stretched the lower edges of the legs but didn't finish them off in any other way.

9. Top

I stretched the bottom edge of the hoodie top in the same way and left it unfinished.

Cut straight across one sleeve at the mark, fold the hoodie in half lengthways and cut the other sleeve to match.

10. Cuffs

Cut the cuffs off from the sleeves, leaving the stitches intact.

Divide the cuff into 4 sections as you did for the waistband and pin it inside the sleeve with right sides together, stretching the cuff as much as you can.

Sew the cuff in place with a zigzag stitch, stretching it as you sew and creating pleats evenly around the sleeve between the pins where necessary.

DIY orange two piece set

I love this comfy upcycled hoodie outfit.

I feel like I maximized the use of the fabric and ended up with a unique two piece orange set that looks amazing and fits well.

It really was so easy to make in just a few hours so I do hope you try it. Please let me know how you get on in the comments below.