I made a dragon sweater for the daughter of friends of ours, as the dragon theme seemed fun (and not too girly).

So here's a little how-to, in case you would like to make one!

Step 1: What Do You Need?

To make a dragon sweater, you will need:
- sweater fabric
- a leftover piece of jersey fabric
- a leftover piece of non-stretch fabric (to make the spikes for the spine of the dragon)
- a sewing pattern for a standard child's sweater (this pattern is similar to the one I used, except I ommited the front pocket)
- sewing material (scissors, thread, needles, sewing machine...)

Step 2: The Pattern Pieces

First cut out all the pattern pieces.

Normally, you should have the following pieces that stay the same as in the pattern description:
- The front of the sweater, on the fold of the sweater fabric (1x)
- The outside of the hood in sweater fabric (2x)
- The inside of the hood in jersey (2x)
- The sleeves in sweater fabric (2x)
- The sleeve ends in jersey fabric (2x)

Now, when cutting the back of the sweater, instead of cutting it on the fold of the fabric, add the same seam allowance as the other sides, and cut it out twice, giving you a left and a right side, as in the picture.

Step 3: The Spikes

Cut out a triangle, that will serve as the pattern for the spikes of the dragon's spine.
To check if it's the right size, you can hold it up against the hood, to check that's it not too large or too small.
Now is also the time to count how many spikes you want (depending on how long the "spine" of your sweater is, and how much space you want between the spikes).

Using this pattern, draw and cut out twice the number of spikes you want in the non-stretch fabric (this is because you need the two sides of the spike).
I needed 12 spikes, so I cut out 24 triangles.

Sew the triangles together in pairs, leaving one side open (this is the side that will be caught in the middle seam of the hood and back of the sweater).

Turn the triangles inside out, making sure the spike is nicely pointy.

Step 4: Attaching the Spikes to the Hood

Pin down the spikes on one of the sides of the "outside" hood (the one in sweater fabric).

Make sure to attach them far enough from the side, to account for the seam allowance.
As I used a 1,5 cm seam allowance, and wanted the spikes to be caught at least 0,5 cm in the seam, so I positioned them 1 cm from the edge.

Then, pin the other side of the "outside" hood on top of what you just pinned down, and sew everything together.

When you turn the hood inside out, the spikes should be sticking out as expected.

Step 5: Attaching the Spikes to the Back

Pin the spikes to one of the back pieces, evenly spaced.
Again, make sure to place the spikes far enough from the edge.

Pin the other back piece on top, and sew everything together, trapping the spikes in the spine of the back piece.

Step 6: Finishing the Sweater

Now finish off the sweater as explained in the pattern description.

As a reminder, this should include:
- Attaching the sleeve ends to the sleeves
- Sewing the "inside" pieces of the hood together
- Sewing the inside and outside of the hood together at the edges
- Attaching the hood to the sweater
- Attaching the sleeves to the sweater.

And TA-DAH, your dragon sweater is ready to wear!