Denim goes with everything

I started making this wardrobe staple back in summer 2022 before the heatwave hit the UK. I needed to replace an ancient denim jacket and had been on the look-out for a suitable pattern. I’m a firm believer that a denim jacket goes with everything in a summer wardrobe and was desperately missing my old ready-to-wear one.

My shop-bought jacket was a cropped style in light denim. I wanted to keep the cropped style, but make something from a darker denim and didn’t necessarily want to faff about with jeans hardware. Comically, when I embarked on this project, I wanted something quickly. The unexpected heatwave last summer meant a jacket wasn’t necessary, then the chill of autumn set in and my woollens came out of hibernation. Almost a year later, and the brief has been fulfilled and I’m ready for spring 2023!

Surprisingly easy toile

My experience of coat making made me think that getting a jacket to fit might be quite a task. However my first toile was successful, with shoulder width, arm length and general fit only needing a few tweaks.

I shortened the bodice pieces and pockets by 1.75″ to get the cropped effect, particularly with my short torso.

There are a few pocket options with the Stacker Jacket and I’m still not sure I got mine to match either version. I’m not sure what went wrong with my pockets, but my adjustments went a bit awry. I took 1.75″ off the pocket height to match the adjustment I had made to the bodice pieces. When it came to it, I very neatly sewed the flaps in place, then realised there was a “slight” problem. In the end, I unpicked the pocket flaps and decided to leave the pockets as they were. They are in a a slightly strange place, but actually fit my phone perfectly.

Fabric Focus

My main fabric is a 6oz stonewashed denim from Fabrics Galore. I wanted something that felt quite light-weight and this feels more like a sturdy cotton than a traditional denim. Given it was always destined to be a lightweight jacket, it’s just what I was after.

My lining is a satin from Rainbow Fabrics. It definitely wasn’t as badly behaved as I thought it would be when sewing, but cutting was another matter. As with any satin fabric, it moved whilst cutting and needed some lining up post-chop. I don’t get on with starch sprays, even though some people live by them, preferring to tweak any pieces as I go along.

Details

I decided to add a decorative label to the lining for maximum #sewprettyinside. The lining has a pleat at the neck to allow for ease so I didn’t want to stitch over that. I decided to place the label inside the front of the jacket so that if I’m wearing it unbuttoned, there’s a flash of Liberty every now and then.

I also put a “You Can’t Buy This” label on the pocket, and top-stitched in light green thread to compliment the lining. I’m still the only member of the #topstitchingappreciation society, but applications are always welcome!

For practical reasons, I made a denim hanging loop to sandwich in between the collar. I didn’t do this with previous outerwear projects, so they have to be hung up on a hanger in the coat closet (such divas).

As well as highlighting the gorgeous shine on the lining fabric, the next photograph is a symbol of my laziness. I pulled the cutting mat out from under the sofa *just* enough to chisel the buttonholes. I prefer to focus on how beautiful the corner of the jacket is though…!

Thanks for reading and happy Spring! :o)