This project has been in the pipe-line for a while so it is nice to see it finished and finally blogged. I wanted to make a bomber/varsity jacket from a ‘graffiti’ jacquard fabric but finding the right pattern wasn’t as easy as I first thought. There is something about jacquard fabrics that I can’t resist. This one is from Elliot Berman Textiles.

 

I wanted a simple pattern with minimal seams to best use the fabric – set-in sleeves, front zipper, round neckline with a tapered band. Most of the patterns I found had raglan sleeves. In the end, I did a blend of two Ottobre patterns. For the main pattern I used Ottobre 5/2017 #4, which I’d used to make sweatshirts last year. One is a size bigger than the other but both the sweatshirts get used regularly. For this project, I’ve gone with the larger size since I’m working with a woven rather than a knit. To get the collar and waistband style that I wanted, I’ve used Ottobre 2/2017 #12.

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This second pattern also had instructions for a bagged lining, which came in handy. My plan was to use a mustard or yellow fabric for the lining and make it reversible. I can’t see myself wearing a yellow jacket that often, so this seamed like a good way to add that option into my wardrobe without making another jacket. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find something the right colour that was slippery enough to use as a lining, and reluctantly settled on a antique gold polyester. Way too much bling to be worn as a face fabric, but I decided to make the jacket reversible anyway. The only change needed to the pattern was to split the zipper guard so one side had the jacquard and the other the lining. The zipper guard had the added advantage of covering the zipper when the jacket was reversed. This meant that I could use the grey zipper that worked best for the jacquard without clashing with the lining.

For pockets, I’ve added slanted double welt pockets to the font. I’ve used Kenneth D King’s method using grossgain ribbon to make the welts and they always turn out really well.

Overall, I’m very happy with how the jacket has turned out, and I’ve enjoyed wearing it over the last couple of months. It has a lot of attitude and is so much fun.

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