Skip to main content

The Perfect Spring Jacket

This post is by Betsy Smith from Illinois. 


Window shopping one day, we were so taken with an adorable spring jacket hanging in the window of a childrens store; we just knew we had to buy it.  But once inside looking at the “designer” price tag, we said what we always say in those situations … ”we can make that!”. 

So the search began for a similar laminated cotton fabric and we found it in Anna Maria Horner’s Small Gathering – Citrus from her Good Folks Collection.  We lined the jacket with a high-quality interlock cotton knit that gives perfect body to the jacket and just the right warmth and softness.  This combination made for a waterproof children’s jacket that isn’t stiff and “vinyly” like many you see in stores.

We chose Sew Baby’s Petal Jacket for the pattern.  What I love about this pattern are the clear instructions, ease of construction, and the unique silhouette – a hybrid jacket/poncho that is perfect for a growing toddler.  The jacket’s open sides allow it to fall freely and not bunch up in the car seat. The sleeves roll at the cuff to grow as the child grows.  A lined hood, with soft ribbing around the face, is a nice touch that keeps baby comfortable.  The finishing touch is the over-sized flower buttons we chose (easy to button on squirmy child).

We get compliments every where we go with this jacket.  The jacket is cute but the little girl who wears it is even cuter!

Betsy

Comments

  1. signingcharityApril 27, 2010 at 1:05 PM

    that is a great jacket. is it easy for a new sew-er?

    ReplyDelete
  2. SewBabyApril 28, 2010 at 7:10 PM

    Yes, this is would be easy for a new sewer. There are only 2 pieces for the body and 4 pieces for the hood. The instructions are very clear. One tip I have is to be sure to grade the seams - straight clips on outside (finished) curves and v-shaped clips on inside (finished curves). This can be a little tedious if you chose the petal shaped hem - lots of finished inside curves - but well worth it to have a nice looking finished product. If you're not into making buttonholes or putting on snaps, you could use velcro for closures. I hope this helps. I would love to see your finished jacket. Happy sewing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 28, 2010 at 10:32 PM

    very cute, the jacket and the baby!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousApril 28, 2010 at 10:53 PM

    I love the petal jacket. Nice choice of the laminated cotton fabric!! Are you planning to make other jackets?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for visiting my blog! I would love to hear your opinions! Please share your comments here.

Popular posts from this blog

What to Wear in Madagascar

To be honest, I have no idea what to wear in Madagascar, and this title may need to be changed to "what NOT to wear in Madagascar" in a few months.  We will have to wait and see.  My 22 year old daughter, Alyssa, left for the Peace Corps this week, and she will be stationed in Madagascar for the next 2 years and 3 months.  Yes, you read that right- TWO YEARS and three months!!! We are very proud of her for wanting to help make the world a better place, and for being fearless in doing so, but it will be a looooong time for Mama and Papa back home. Not knowing anything about Madagascar, the first step in figuring out what to pack was to figure out the weather and the cultural norms.  Madagascar is a very large island off the southeastern coast of Africa.  It's very, very unique in it's ecosystem, and has many species that are not found anywhere else in the world- most famously lemurs. Right now, it is experiencing it's rainy season, as you can see by the
17 comments
Read more

Vogue 9305 Asymmetrical Tunics

It's April and we're expecting snow tonight.  Have we switched hemispheres?  Nevertheless, I am sewing with visions of warm sunny days.  And for those warm sunny days to come, I imagine sitting in the shade with a light breeze flowing through the air, enjoying a light beverage with friends.  Just close your eyes and you can imagine too.  What would you be wearing?  Well,  I love a dramatic asymmetrical tunic made of the softest linen.  As luck would have it, I found just the fabric in the "As Is" section in Fabric Mart's sales category.  With just some irregular dye marks on the selvage, it was marked down, but still completely usable.  It started out as a solid color, but I did an ombre dip dye process to get this look- more on that later! For my pattern, I chose Vogue 9305 , a tunic with a shaped hemline, and two styles of pants (I didn't make the pants).   This pattern must be the biggest bang for your time possible.  The tunic went tog
16 comments
Read more

Style Arc Dotty Blouse and Burda 6879 Skinny Pants

Listen children.  It's time for a sewing story.  Sit by the fire with me, and I'll tell you the story of how three flat, lifeless pieces of fabric became my new favorite winter outfit. With a little help from the elves at FabricMart, Burda, and Style Arc, I whipped up this outfit just in time for the holidays. Chapter 1.  The Dotty Blouse Silk charmeuse.  Aahhhh.  Just the thought of it brings me bliss.  Is there anything so light as a feather, shimmery as a star, fluid as a mountain stream?  All wrapped up in one glorious fabric.  Sometimes I look at the prices of clothes in the stores, and wonder "Why am I sewing? ".  But one touch of silk charmeuse and I remember. This is the stuff that you can't buy a top made from for less than $200, but you can make it for $50 or less. When I saw this stylized animal print silk charmeuse at FabricMart, I grabbed up 3 yards of it right away.  One of silk charmeuse's best qualities is it's drapa
6 comments
Read more