Another queue jumping sew! When I saw this fabric – a large print Asian lucky waving cat! – on Stoff och Stil, I knew I HAD to have it! I’m surprised at myself for spending the most per meter I have ever spent on fabric for a cat print of all things! Initially I was thinking about making a sweatshirt but my sister suggested a bomber jacket. I hesitated – aren’t bombers on their way out, considering they’ve been around pretty long?.. But I figured, I would get a lot more wear out of a zip-up, so bomber jacket it was!
As usual, I didn’t want to spend money on a pattern, so I tried searching Burda without too much luck. Most of their patterns had seamlines running through the body, which would interfere with this large print. Googling around I found a free pattern on Mood!
And as usual, I couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed at some parts of the jacket. (Why oh why am I so critical of myself/my work?!) The fabric was slightly thinner than expected, the collar was fidgety, maybe should have stabilised the lower hem, maybe should have sewn the lining after all (the jacket flips open easily, showing the pockets) etc etc. Overall, I suppose I do like it, and it makes me smile! Wore it for the first time today to my casual workplace – I thought it paired nicely with a red shift dress, for that kind of Asian minimalistic feel. Though looking at these photos, I realise my dress sticks pretty bad to my wool tights, making me look like I have a stomach – ack! – need to make sure I wear this dress with slippery tights or a slip! 😛
Pattern Description:
Free pattern, reversible bomber jacket for men and women. Mood free reversible bomber jacket
Pattern Sizing:
Women size 0-16
Men size XXS-4X
I made a size 8 to have it slightly oversized.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, except I didn’t make it reversible.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Instructions on their website are sparse, though the pattern is free.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
+ LIKED:
+ Pattern is free!
+ unusual drafting, where the back is wider than the front (the armsyce has the side seam towards the front of the body), so that the pockets are better placed
+ Pattern was perfect for the large scale fabric I purchased
– DISLIKED:
– Uses a lot of paper, and not clear which pages to print out if you are only making the women’s or men’s jacket
– Tricky laying out the pattern since there are no alignment markings (most of the time, I could lay out the pattern by matching text/words, though in some cases it was “eyeballing”)
– Sizing chart is unclear whether it was “finished measurements” or body measurements, but I believe they are the finished measurements. I kept second guessing myself, tried to draft 1 size larger (since I had already cut out my size), and sewed with a smaller SA.
– SA was not clear (read in the comments that it was 1/2″)
– Bust dart on a bomber jacket seems strange (I removed it by pivoting it out).
– Didn’t realise that it was a v-neck (no line drawing) – I would have cut a round neck
– Others commented that it is slightly on the short side (I’m short waisted so it worked ok for me)
– The collar was a bit fidgety – I didn’t know if I was supposed to stretch the collar (and what length to cut) or not, so it ended up not laying quite flat on me.
Fabric Used:
French terry, knit jersey for the collar
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I skipped the reversible part.
I pivoted out the bust dart.
Shortened the sleeves 3″ and inserted long-ish rib knit cuffs.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I don’t need 2 of this jacket. If you’re looking for a free pattern, you might consider this one.