Lets Talk About Jackets

 
     Tis the season to be wearing them, and I am quite grateful to not be wearing them for half the year like some of you northerners! I had a goal this year, to learn to how to make my own jacket. I gave it a go this last week....and found I have MUCH to learn in the jacket making world. I decided to use fleece for my first attempts. Fleece is cheap, comes in all colors and prints, and has a bit of stretch to it...always a good thing when you have no idea what you are doing. I also did not put in a lining. It seems there is a bit of a vacuum in the sewing tutorial world on this subject. I could not find anything on how to put in a lining, and looking at my existing coats offered no answers either. I might just go buy on old ratty one from the thrift store and dissect it to figure out how its done.
      My first try was this little coat for my toddler.

     It has snaps down the front to close it and pockets in the side seams. There was more seam ripping in this little coat than you can possibly imagine. I won't go into all my ridiculous mistakes, but I finally got it to be wearable and presentable.
     My second try was this cream colored one for me.

     No seam ripping in this one, but still plenty of oops moments. I am fairly satisfied with how this one turned out. I love the color and I love the buttons. I do not like the collar, shoulders, and the fact that it is not lined. There were a lot of "firsts" for me in these two jackets. It was my first try at collars, buttons that actually need to button and unbutton, princess seams, and pockets.

      The total cost for the materials was about $20. Not a money saver in the sense, I could easily find a fleece for that much or less in stores. However, I learned a ton, so it was still a worthwhile project. You can't ever get better if you only stick to doing what you know how to do.

      I have much to learn before I'll attempt a tutorial on this. I can say though, I "built" the pattern just exactly the same way I showed you in this post. I can also tell you, don't use fleece for pockets. It adds bulk right around the belly...right where I don't need it! =) Next time I'll be using thin lining fabric for pockets.  Collars are still a mystery, so I'll just keep tinkering till I get the hang of them.
      Do you know any jacket making tips? Be sure to tell me all about them in the comments so I can steal your ideas! =)

Psalm 25:10 "All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies."

Linking to:
The Southern Institute