Ottobre 6-2008-38 Color Me Happy Quilted Jacket Finished (Finally!)

Finally I was able to get a picture of my daughter in her coat. I didn't want to post without her so I waited. All the rest of this post was written on Tuesday just after I finished.

It feels like I have been working on this one forever. I know in reality I haven't but it sure feels like it. I think it turned out very nicely and my daughter really likes her new jacket.

Actually, finishing this one is very satisfying. This is one of a very few projects that was a real need to make. My daughter really needs a fall jacket. This wasn't simply something that I wanted to make. It was a necessity to clothe my family and that makes me feel great about my ability to sew.

This project turned out to be quite tedious. Since I didn't line it I had to finish all the seams. I wanted to make sure that the inside looked very nice since I know my daughter will be tossing it hither and thither. The way I chose to do it, I ended up sewing up each seam three times. Talk about making a project take longer! PHEW!

Here is my full review:

Pattern Description: Ready-quilted fabric with vivid zig-zag pattern inspired us to design this winter jacket for schoolgirls. It is equally suitable for city wear and ski slopes. The pockets are inserted in the panel seams and there is a zipper down the front. The collar can be worn either up or folded down. The jacket is lined with slippery outerwear fabric.

Pattern Sizing: 128-170 I made a size 128. I did make the shoulders a little wider since my daughters shoulder measurement was quite a bit wider than the size 128. I also lengthened the sleeves.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? It looks very much like the picture. Were the instructions easy to follow? I only used the beginning of the instructions for the shell since I made it without a lining (I didn't have any). They seemed pretty straight forward.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? The construction of the pocket was explained very well. I was able to get some nice looking pockets without any trouble.

Fabric Used: Polyester quilted/embroidered fabric from Joann's

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't line the jacket. Instead I finished all the seams. I used a mixture of trims because I kept running out of stuff. I had quite a few yards to begin with but you need a ton to do this. I think I had 5 yards of teal FOE, 5 yards of woven foldover and still had to bind the hem with fleece.

Inside Front
Inside Back

Finishing all the seams was not too difficult but it was tedious. Every seam ended up being sewed three times. It took a while but the result was nice. To do this I: 1. Sewed the seam. 2. Sewed the FOE (flattened out) right along the very edge on top of the seam. 3. Folded down the FOE and the seam allowance and stitch right along the very edge of the other side so the seam allowance was completely covered. I also "bound" my zipper (and pockets) with woven foldover. This was simple. I just sandwiched the fabric and the zipper in the foldover.

Bound Zipper


Topstitching

My other alteration was to take out 1" from the height of the collar. I didn't think that my daughter would want it up past her chin. By taking out some height it became a length that was more comfortable for her.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would recommend this pattern. I think it turned out very good. I may or may not sew this again. It was a nice pattern and it is not so distinctive that you would know it is the same thing out of different fabric.

Conclusion: I am pleased with this jacket. It was tedious because of the way I constructed it. But even the instructions have you topstitching most of the seams. It is simple yet striking.

While I feel like this jacket took a lot of time it really was quick to sew up as far as making jackets goes. I am very happy with it and so is my daughter!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...