I found my go-to spring jacket pattern. It is simple to make, great to style for all spring outfits and (drum roll) it is free! Yep, you can find it on the FabricStore.com website.
I had it ready for a while but as with many patterns, I first wanted to find the right fabric and get in the right mood. I did have this cord fabric in my stash that I wanted to use for my first version. I made myself think of it as a muslin in case it did not turn out good, but I was hoping it would be wearable. And it is. Smile.
Usually, I follow pattern instructions. As I have been sewing for years now I sometimes only skip over instructions but this time I did not even bother looking them up. For some reason, that felt unnecessary and one extra thing my mind would have to cope with at these times. So I just went for it step by step and sewed the whole jacket over a weekend. I did make several coats and shirts by now so I knew all the steps that were needed. This gave me a good feeling because I felt I had something under control unlike with everything else that is currently happening outside.
This jacket pattern has a collar, button up front and 4 patch pockets. I ended up putting only 2 lower pockets. One reason is that I did not have enough fabric for all 4 pockets but then the third one on only one side just looked silly. On one of the pockets, I added the Hand Made tag (I wanted to use it like this on a garment for a while). But then each time I forgot. Well, this time I made sure it was next to my machine ready to go when I started working on the jacket. I also skipped the topstitching in the front since the facings are caught in place with buttons and buttonholes.
I would say this is a fast sew, especially for those of you who can sit through a full project from start to finish in an afternoon. I usually break it in more sittings so a weekend was the perfect timeframe to finish it. I recommend it as a great pattern to try your skills and make a cool spring jacket, especially since you only have to invest in the fabric in case you do not already have something in your stash.
Thank you for reading,
Ana