Grace is a modern summer jacket that can be worn just as easily indoors as outdoors! The pattern has drop shoulders with long sleeves, a straight, standing collar and a zipper hidden by a placket with buttons. The back piece doesn’t only add a nice feature to the back, it also makes for a nice finish on the inside. The drawstring waist and flap pockets give the finishing touch! Just roll up the sleeves if you want to go for a more casual look!
We wish you a lot of fun sewing this jacket!
Pin one of the back pieces to the back, right sides of the fabric together. Make sure the top side of the back levels with the bottom side of the back piece. Now pin the second back piece with the right side of the fabric to the wrong side of the back and stitch all three layers. Press.
Cut a piece of 3 cm off the center front of the right front. Right when you’re wearing the jacket.
Press a little piece of iron-on interfacing at the area of the buttonholes, at the bottom of the left and right front, on the wrong side of the fabric. Make both buttonholes in the fronts. The marking on the pattern piece indicates the top of the buttonhole which is ca. 1,5 cm long. Test the length of the buttonhole first on a scrap of fabric to get it right. We’ll pull the ribbon through these buttonholes in the hem later on. The buttonholes are not visible at the right side of the jacket, so make sure they are sewn into the seam allowance of the hem.
Place the back with the right sides of the fabric facing up. The inside back piece is folded down. Pin the shoulder seams of the fronts to the shoulder seams of the upper back piece, right sides of the fabric together.
Roll up the back and front pieces until they are in the middle of the two back pieces.
Pin the shoulder seams of both back pieces, with the right sides of the fabric together. You have to fold the inside back piece upwards for this, the back and fronts disappear between the two back pieces. Stitch the shoulder seams.
Now turn the jacket to the right side of the fabric by carefully pulling all the fabric through the neck opening. Press nicely flat.
Pin and stitch the side and bottom of the pocket flap. Trim the corners. Turn the flap to the right side, push out the corners and press.
Finish the side and bottom seams of the pockets with an overlock or by zigzagging. Press the top seam 2,5 cm to the wrong side. Now press half of this seam allowance to the inside. Stitch in place next to the edge.
Press 1 cm of the bottom of the pocket to the wrong side. Also press 1 cm of the sides of the pocket to the wrong side. Pin carefully in place or baste.
Place the top of the pocket exactly at the two corresponding markings at the right side of the front. Pin in place or baste the pocket to the front. Start stitching at the top and stitch the sides and bottom of the pocket, next to the edge.
Place the unfinished side of the flap right at the top of the pocket and pin in place. The interfaced part of the flap is placed below. You’ll notice that the flap is slightly larger than the pocket, so make sure that the flap is placed correctly in the middle. Stitch the flap to the front at 1 cm of the unfinished edge. Press the flap down towards the pocket.
Fold the flap upwards again. Trim the seam allowance of the flap as close to your stitching as possible. Fold the flap back down towards the pocket and pin in place. Stitch the top of the flap at 0,5 cm from the edge, through all layers. By doing this, the flap will stay nicely in place.
Pin the sleeve cap to the armhole of the jacket, right sides of the fabric together and markings matching. Stitch in place and finish the raw edges together with an overlock or by zigzagging. Press the seam towards the sleeve.
Pin the side seam of the jacket and the side seam of the sleeve with the right sides together and stitch. Trim the rounded side seam under the arm. Finish the edges together with an overlock or by zigzagging. Press the seam towards the front.
Like to roll up your sleeves, but the colour of your overlock yarn stands out too much? Then you can finish the seam allowance with a ribbon or bias, but you need to do this before stitching the sleeve trim.
Stitch the short sides of the sleeve trim, right sides together and press the seam open. Fold the sleeve trim in half widthwise, with the wrong sides together, and press. Then press just over 1 cm of the seam allowance of one of the long sides to the wrong side of the fabric.
Unfold the sleeve trim and slide the unpressed seam over the sleeve, right sides of the fabric together and make sure the markings match. Stitch in place.
Press all seam allowances towards the sleeve trim. Fold the sleeve trim in its place, wrong sides of the fabric together. All seam allowances disappear inside the sleeve trim, including the seam you pressed beforehand. Stitch the sleeve trim to the sleeve by stitching exactly in the ditch. Make sure to work from the right side of the fabric.
Add the press fasteners or snap buttons at the right front placket. Make sure to place them at the inside of the placket. Place the placket at the front to see what’s the inside and the outside.
Stitch the bottom of the right placket, right sides of the fabric together and trim the corner. Turn the placket to the right side. Fold the placket in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press.
Place the raw edges of the right placket at the center front of the right front. The side of the placket with the buttons is facing up, so when the placket is in place, the buttons are at the inside. Start pinning at the top. The bottom of the placket ends at the top of the hem allowance of the front. Now pin the right part of the zipper onto the placket and front, at 0,5 cm of the edge, right sides together. Make sure the zip teeth start at 1,5 cm of the neckline. Stitch the zipper in place at the front at 1,5 cm seam allowance.
Fold the hem allowance upwards to the right side of the front, over the right placket: the placket is now sandwiched between the hem allowance and the front. Now fold about 1,5 cm of the hem back down, towards the wrong side of the seam. Because the fabric is folded over the placket, you probably won’t have an entire 1,5 cm to fold over. Make sure that you keep exactly the 2 cm of the hem allowance. Pin the folded hem at the corner of the center front.
Finish the outer edge of the right front facing with an overlock or by zigzagging. Start at the neckline and pin the right facing at the placket, zipper and front. The front facing is a bit shorter, sits on top of the hem allowance and ends just past the folded hem so it will nicely disappear inside the hem. Stitch in place over the entire length of the center front. Finish all raw edges together with an overlock or by zigzagging. Trim the corner at the bottom. Turn to the right side, the facing is on the inside of the jacket, and press.
Stitch and press the left front placket in the same way as the right front placket. There are no buttons at the left placket, so no need to consider that.
Pin the left side of the zipper at 0,5 cm of the edge of the center front of the left front, right sides together. The zip teeth start at 1,5 cm of the neckline.
Place the left placket onto the zipper and the front and pin in place. The left placket is aligned at the neckline and ends at the hem allowance, just like the right side. Check if the placket and zipper of the left part are aligned with the right part of the front. Stitch in place from top to bottom.
Fold the hem allowance over the placket and then fold about 1,5 cm back down to the wrong side, like you did on the other side. The left placket is now sandwiched between front and hem allowance. Finish the outer edge of the left front facing with an overlock or by zigzagging. Start at the neckline and pin the left facing at the placket and front and over the folded hem allowance. Stitch in place over the entire length of the center front. Finish all raw edges together with an overlock or by zigzagging. Trim the corner at the bottom. Turn to the right side, the facing is on the inside of the jacket, and press.
Add the other side of the press fasteners or snap buttons at the markings on the left front. If you’re using spring snap buttons, add a piece of interfacing at the wrong side of the left front before adding the buttons, to reinforce the fabric.
Press the hem at 3,5 cm and press 1,5 cm of this hem to the inside (check the hem allowance you already folded at the corners to achieve a nice, equal hem). Stitch all around. Use a safety pin to pull the ribbon through the casing via the buttonholes.
The easiest way is to add your press fasteners or snap buttons at the collar now, but you can also do this later when you’ve finished the collar piece. The press fasteners of the right side have to be placed at the inside collar; the fasteners of the left side are placed at the outside part of the collar.
Press a bit more than a centimeter of the bottom seam of the inside collar to the wrong side of the fabric. Pin both collar pieces, right sides of the fabric together and stitch the top and sides of the collar. Start stitching at 1,5 cm from the bottom so you don’t stitch the seam allowance you just pressed. Trim the corners and turn the collar to the right side. Press and make sure to keep the pressed seam allowance at the bottom of the inside collar.
Pin the outside collar piece to the neckline, right sides together and stitch. Press the seam allowances towards the collar.
Trim the corners slightly so they don’t add too much thickness at the corners of the collar. Pin the inside collar to the inside of the jacket. Make sure that the pressed seam of the inside collar slightly overlaps the seam you just stitched. All seam allowances disappear inside the collar. Stitch the collar to the front by stitching exactly in the ditch of the neckline. Work from the right side of the fabric. Make sure that the ends of the collar pieces are nicely aligned with the edges of the plackets. Press nicely flat.
We wish you a lot of fun with your new jacket! Don't forget to share your creations on Instagram using #gracejacket!