Well, people asked and we listened! Or more accurately, we "premonitioned". The Miss Bonfire hoodie was already in the works when we released the girls Bonfire version so you have no idea how hard it was to keep that to ourselves for the last few months!

The misses size range is something Sherri's always intended to extend into, but it's taken until now for us to find the time to do it. We debated for quite a while on the best way to deal with bust sizes and in the end decided that our patterns would include A - D cups (NOT the same thing as bra sizes by the way - so be sure to check our size chart measurements when choosing your size). Including these 4 cup sizes means our patterns will also come with separate pattern pieces (misses size 0-20) for EACH cup size as necessary. For the most part this will just mean different front bodice pieces for each cup size.

So, how do you read this chart and choose your size? Start by taking both your upper bust and full bust measurements. Then find your upper bust measurement on the chart and take note of which size it's under. THAT is the size you'll be making. You want to choose this correctly because it's going to determine where those shoulder seams/armscyes land. Follow down that size until you come to your full bust measurement. THAT is the cup size you'll be using. So, for example, I have a 36" upper bust and 39" full bust. The 36" upper bust is a size 10. Following down the size 10 column I find my full bust measurement in the C-Cup row. So I will use the C-Cup, size 10 pieces. (I also still blend out for waist and hips as necessary).

One major thing to note if you have to blend sizes in/out for the waist and hips is what will happen to the side seam. Because the front and back pieces for this hoodie have angled side seams (and each piece angles at a different degree) when blending occurs widthwise it changes the length of the side seam differently on the front piece and the back piece. For the most part this won't be a big deal. Just be sure to ease your front and back side seams together. If you're blending beyond 2 sizes the difference starts becoming more dramatic and you may want to consider further length adjustments to create side seams that are closer in length to each other.

Our misses size patterns are also releasing with A0 files. The files include colour printing and separate layers, if desired. Just make sure to specify to the print shop which options you prefer. There is a different file available for each cup size. Pattern pieces required for the different cup sizes are all placed on page 1 of their respective files. If it becomes necessary to print more than one cup size, there is no need to re-print the 2nd page of each file (as it is the same on each of the 4 files).

The various cup sizes are one of the biggest differences between the girls Bonfire and the Miss Bonfire. One other is the waist shaping (it's more dramatic with the Misses sizes - but still with a relaxed feel/fit). Other than that, the two patterns are pretty much the same. You can check out the blog post for the girls Bonfire Hoodie here. It discusses the various options and details of the hoodie.

In both the girls and misses test groups there were many testers who (out of style choice, desire or necessity) made their own drawstrings for the pattern. A simple "hack", but with a pretty cool impact. If making your own drawstrings we recommend cutting your strip of fabric the same length as the drawstring mentioned in the cut chart by 1 1/2" wide. One option would then be to fold in half lengthwise (RST) and use a stretch stitch to sew it with a 3/8″ seam allowance.  Trim away half of the seam allowance and turn right side out. You may want to remeasure the length at this point and trim if necessary. (Some fabrics tend to stretch out during the turning of the tube.)

Something many testers agreed on: choosing your fabric combos is sometimes the hardest part of a project, especially with so many colour blocking options! A couple ladies went with their kids school or team colours so they could cheer them on total "fan-girl" style this season.

A few of us also made hoodies that co-ordinated with our kids Bonfires. (I love that they're still at an age where this is fun for them too!)

And one tester even gave sweater knit a try. She opted for the neckband version in this case, as she wasn't sure how well this particular knit would support the weight of a hood. The result was beautiful!

After all the finals were done we also got the request for a cowl neck option. While this didn't make it into the actual tutorial, we still wanted to share this hack that one tester did to get the cowl neck she was after!

We hope you'll enjoy the Miss Bonfire hoodie as much as we do. (I seriously had to talk myself out of wearing mine for the 3rd day in a row today.) We also can't wait to see how you colour block, style and possibly even hack it. Share your makes with us in the Sofiona Designs Fan Group on Facebook, or on IG. @sofionadesigns #sofimissbonfire #missbonfireinthewild #sofionadesigns