Time for a bit of colour in my wardrobe with a red denim-style jacket using cotton drill. I wear blue jeans nearly every day so rather than a blue denim jacket and having a matchy-matchy look, I wanted a contrasting colour. And I love red.
Jacket Pattern Used
Kwik Sew 2895 was already in my collection, and I used it quite a few years ago to make View B in a black corduroy. I loved the feel of the corduroy but I didn’t wear it very much. It finished at my waist and I realised that I prefer jackets to finish at my hip. So I knew from the outset I’d be going with the longer version.
To get the look I was after I used:
- the length of View A
- the waistband of View B (resized to fit)
- the sleeve and cuff of view B
- pocket flaps changed from curved edge to straight
My measurements were closest to size XL, but I needed to add 6cm to the hips, a common adjustment for me. On the hip side of the Front Side Panel (piece 3) and Back Side Panel (piece 6) I added 1cm. To cater for my butt 1cm was added to both sides of the hip area of the Back (piece 5).
Sewing the Jacket
The jacket was sewn on my Janome Memory Craft 3500 sewing machine. I challenged myself not to use my overlocker so I used flat felled seams throughout.
I used a Universal 90 needle with default tension of 4.0. The seams were sewn in Sew-All Polyester Gutermann colour 46 (red) thread using a stitch length of 2.6.
For the topstitching I used white topstitching thread in the needle and Rasant Colour X2000 (white) thread in the bobbin. The topstitching took a bit of fiddling with the sewing machine settings to get an OK finish. The tension was tightened to 6.0 with a stitch length of 3.5. The first line of topstitching was sewn 1mm from the folded edge with a blind hem stitch foot (G) with a width of 1.0 (needle to left). The second parallel line of topstitching used the zigzag foot (A) with a width of 7.0 (needle to right), with the right hand side of the foot running along the edge of the previous stitching line 6mm away.
For the chest pockets I used some left-over Liberty Tana Lawn as the lining to reduce bulk and the cotton drill for the outer side. The pockets were sewn on according to the instructions but to finish the pockets without an overlocker I folded the raw edge over and edge stitched it. The pocket was then handstitched to the jacket front so they wouldn’t flap around as well as enclosing the raw edges.
Sewing the flat felled seams was difficult as the cotton drill didn’t want to press flat and it kept on springing up. In some areas I used washaway double sided tape to keep it down, but even that wasn’t fool proof. There were some seams where the raw edge peaked out on the inside of the jacket, so I did a little fold and hand stitched in place.
There was a lot of bulk where the front yoke and the chest pockets intersect, making flat felled seams nearly impossible. I had luck on the right side pocket, but the left didn’t quite work so I did some overcast sitches by hand to enclose the raw edges. Next time I’ll increase the seam allowances in this area to handle the bulk.
The collar was finished by handstitching the lower inside edge to give a perfectly seamless finish.
The buttonholes where made with a button hole foot and stitch #7, with a width of 6.0 and length 0.2. This made a slightly wider and tighter zigzag stitch. Buttonholes were placed 1cm from the finished edge and a chisel was used to cut the buttonhole open.
I used Hemline 16mm Jeans buttons and these were easily attached using the instructions provided.
Jacket Review
I love how the jacket came together. It fits really well and I like how it finishes at hip level. I haven’t had a chance to wear it yet as it’s been too warm, but I’m sure when the cooler weather comes it will become a staple in my wardrobe.
I will make a few adjustments to the pattern:
- Increase width of the chest pockets by 3cm so I can finish them with a french seam.
- Add 1cm to the top edge of the front sections (pieces 1,2,3) and pocket (piece 12), and 1cm to bottom edge of front yoke (piece 4) to cater for bulky flat felled seams.
- Change centre facing from being angled near the collar to being straight.
- Add side pockets (maybe).
In the photos I’m wearing my Closet Core Patterns Ginger Jeans and my blue Sinclair Patterns Daisy Blouse.
Fabric: 2m Heavy Red Cotton Drill from DK Fabrics in Adelaide – AU$32.00
Interfacing: Black Shirt Interfacing from Melanns (interfacing name is unknown) – approx AU$2.00
Buttons: 10x 16mm Hemline Jeans Buttons from DK Fabrics – AU$9.75
Thread: White Topstitching thread from AliExpress, Rasant X2000 (white), Gutermann 46 (red) – approx AU$3.00
Cost for Jacket: AU$46.75
Pattern: Kwik Sew 2895, Size XL
Sewing Machine Needle: Universal 90
Seams: Tension of 4.0, Stitch Length of 2.6
Topstitching: Tension of 6.0, Stitch Length of 3.5
Buttonhole: #7, Width 6.0, Length of 0.2
Have you made a denim-style jacket before? I’d love to hear what pattern and fabric you used, and how you found it. Thanks!
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