Your Fabric Place: child's jacket

Let's talk "Cool weather". It's just around the corner ya know.
Let's talk "Easy sewing". We need to get it done while juggling life.

Let's talk "One of a kind". You won't find this Indygo Junction Inside Out Jacket on a rack in a department store.

Jacket......difficult to sew? No Way ! I was nearly doing back flips with excitement over this one! LOOK below at the design. Easy elementary dolman sleeves!

I chose the brick red and turquoise combo prior to finding the Indygo Junction pattern. The marriage of the sewing pattern and fabric combo are just my style (traditional with a quirky edge)

Written on the back cover of the Turnabout Jacket by designer Mary Ann Donze says:

This Jacket designed for children ages one to ten years allows for years of wear with turned up dolman sleeves to let down over time.

Its loose, asymmetric style easily adjusts to the growing child. Construct in the upper hip length or by adding the lower bands to extend the jacket to just below the hip.

For an unlined jacket, use any two-sided fabric such as polar fleece, linen, batiks, etc. and finish its edges with fabric binding or serger. Or line a jacket and have two looks in one by creating a fully reversible garment.

Photo showing the simple method of construction for this jacket pattern: Right sides together pin, stitch & repeat.

Don't leave this page just yet........you haven't seen the Finished product.......first things first. :-)

To sum up the construction process for this jacket is fairly simple and mostly can be by looking at the photo above. A section on the bottom edge of the jacket is left open for turning.

Basically the jacket consists of two main pattern pieces plus pocket & button tabs.

1. the FRONT which incorporates the front dolman sleeve.
There is No separate collar to attach because the front simply folds back to create a collar. We end up with a collar without cutting a collar piece! Thank you designer Mary Ann Donze!!

2. the BACK which incorporates the dolman sleeves.

3.Lower bands which allow for using contrasting fabric (which I have done)

4. tabs for the button holes

5. a pocket

Sew the front to the back as in the photo showing the pinned sleeves. Do this for the lining the same as you did for the exterior. You'll have put together two jackets and then will sew them right sides together and turn. Your pretty lining makes it reversible!

I use this wooden tool to poke the corners out nice and neat. Word of caution: Do not use the tip of your scissors to poke the corners. (don't ask how I know)

The photo with the iron shows the jacket turned right side out and beginning to press the seams.
Once everything was pressed, I top stitched the seams. The pattern does not call for top stitching, but it gives a nice professional look if you do.

Note about top (edge) stitching: Go slow and select a stitch length that mimics Ready-To-Wear top stitching. I gather on a #4 setting and edge stitch on #3 and sew on #2.

I like my thread to match the fabric because a slight wobble in my stitch line won't show. For this girls jacket, I sewed with the bobbin thread matching the lining color and the top thread matching the outside fabric.
See how I Top stitch: with confidence by clicking: here.

Pocket time: cut the pattern piece and follow directions given. To make life easier for accomplishing a nicely shaped round pocket, sew a gathering length stitch on the edge which you will fold as shown in the above picture. In this case it was 1/4 or 1/2 inch.

Stitch the gathering length line slowly and make it as perfect as possible. This is will become the fold line around the pocket.

Gently use a straight pin to pull the gathering thread to ease the curve.

Pocket Pressed and ready! The color of the fabric on the above photo is off. Way off!

I love this product! How did I sew without Quilter's Choice Basting Thread? There are other products which glue fabric, but make sure you use one which will not gum up your sewing machine needle. When dry, this basting glue can be sewn over. It is temporary and washes out.

Here is my version of the Turnabout Jacket by Mary Ann Donze for Indygo Junction .
I seriously doubt finding a jacket similar to this in any department store.
Things to know:
Would I make this pattern again? Yes yes yes!
Does it come in an Adult size pattern too ? Yes it does! Scroll on down to see it

Skills needed:

concept of putting right sides together and turning

know how to make a button hole by machine or hand

applying bias binding to finish the edge of the sleeves (optional)

Sizing :
As stated on the pattern description, it is a style which allows for growing. It is generous in wearing ease. The pattern gives actual finished measurements. (a feature I love and wish all patterns included) You decide how much wearing ease you'd like.

Ideas:
It does not require fleece or interfacing. I used the Home Dec weight 100% cotton fabric from the Amy Butler August Fields collection. The two layers (exterior and lining) make this a nice mid weight jacket. Perfect for mid climate Winters of the southern states or a Fall/Spring jacket in the colder states.

I imagine this pattern could easily accommodate fusible fleece and machine quilting for making a heavier jacket.

Click here for the Pattern review for Zoeys coordinating pants. I used this pattern: The Sophie 3-way Pants by Patty Young for Modkids.