Hey, it’s winter! Which means we all get to wear more clothes! I am on the jacket mission. Hadn’t made one in a while, so I decided to remind myself by making this:
Left center zipper, raised funnel neck, semi-princess seams, mesh lining, 2 piece sleeves (ribbed on the under portion so I can actually bend my arm), and ribbed on the hem. The hem was half an accident, half planned, but I try to always remember when something goes wrong that
Every Problem is An Opportunity For A Creative Solution
Back:
I made the hem in 3 pieces and overlapped the points on the sides. The initial problem was I made the length perfect to my lower waist – but thought it was too short. I like the way the side hems flap in the breeze when I drive my scooter.
Although I’ve been making clothes for a while, it still took me a few days to wrap my head around the pattern, cut the fabric, and sew it. You have to think about – ok – when I zip it up – where do I want the zipper? Where does that meet up on the other side? What about the underneath part, how long? When I unzip it part of the way, do I want to be able to fold it down so it looks like a collar? What other details do I want to include?
I also reminded myself that if something stretches (like ribbing) and you do not want it to (attaching it to the non-stretchy bottom of jacket for example) you can iron interfacing on and it keeps it sturdy.
Ended up with these pattern pieces: self, facing, lining, hems, 19 in all.
The next jacket I make will be an improvement on this one. Trying to work my way up to learning how to make it in leather. I want to feel like butter on the outside.
A few close ups on the master patterns (The one I keep in one piece and trace other pieces off of):
Good at doing math with fractions? Pattern making just might be your calling. (Or you can dowload the Inch Calculator!)
Oh and in case you ever wonder what all the steps that go into making a jacket/coat, I found this sheet from my notes when I studied fashion design at Blanche MacDonald, which explains it all:
