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Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Hello and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns And Cedar Quilt Co.

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns.

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew and it’s all we know how to talk about.

Caroline: In this episode, we talk about a bunch of popular jacket styles and give fabric advice, sewing tips, and indie pattern recommendations for each one. We also talk about unusual details you find on jacket patterns and play “Is it a Jacket?

Helen: Is it a jacket?

If you love to sew, this is your show.

Caroline: Hi Helen.

Helen: Hi, Caroline.

Caroline: How are you?

Helen: I’m good. Thanks. How are you?

Caroline: I’m pretty good. Pretty good. Excited.

Helen: I’m excited. I, too, am excited. I love jackets. I love outerwear in general, and I have a lot of jackets in my wardrobe.

Caroline: Yeah, I think you have more jackets than I do. And I feel like I have a good amount of jackets. So we’re gonna need to have a jacket-off one day.

Helen: Okay, phrasing, first of all. How many jackets do you think you have in your closet?

Caroline: I don’t know, like, eight?

Helen: Oh. I have like, 30, I think.

Caroline: Yeah. Wow. Okay, you’re on a different, you’re like, at a whole different level.

Helen: Yeah. this jacket-off is gonna be quick.

Caroline: Yeah. You’re gonna jacket me right off the playing field.

Helen: Okay, okay, okay.

Caroline: Okay, okay, okay. Oh my gosh.

Helen: Okay, before we get started today, we did want to remind you all that the best way to support Love to Sew is by joining us over on Patreon or Apple Podcast subscriptions. You get bonus content every month. And we have so much fun catching up with you on those more casual bonus episodes. We talk about what we’re sewing right now. We talk about the new pattern releases. It’s a blast.

Caroline: Yeah, we do have such a great time over on there and it really means so much to us if you’re able to support us, even if it’s just for a month or two. You can cancel anytime. And also just know that if that’s not in the cards for you right now, we totally get it. And we just really appreciate that you listen and that you’re cheering us on.

Helen: Yeah, thank you.

Okay, let’s start off with a question from Erin. Erin asks, “I work in a fairly professional environment and would love to make some nice blouses and shell tops. The ready-to-wear ones I’ve bought in the past are always so staticky. I can’t handle it. What are some of the fabrics that wouldn’t be so staticky but would still look polished and professional?”

Caroline: Hi, Erin! Okay. I think the main problem is that a lot of office-friendly tops are made of polyester. And poly is especially bad for static because it doesn’t retain moisture well. So when the fabric rubs against itself or your other clothes or your skin, it creates this, like, static charge.

Helen: Yeah, and polyester is the fabric of choice for ready to wear office tops because it mimics the look of silk, but it costs a lot less and it’s way easier to care for. You can wash polyester in the washing machine. It doesn’t hold any wrinkles and it’s really easy to remove stains from it.

Caroline: And if you want to use polyester for your work tops, we have some steps that you can take to reduce the static. So, you can hang your tops to dry instead of tumble drying them, and that way they won’t build up static by getting super dry and rubbing against the other clothes in the dryer. You could use fabric softener in the wash or a dryer sheet in the dryer. And this next tip sounds silly, but it actually does help. Moisturize your body. Static is less likely to build up in a humid environment. So, you know, moisturize, your skin will be humid, won’t get as staticky. You can also spray the inside of your clothes with static spray or rub them with a dryer sheet. And that’s going to put lubricants on the fabric that will help to reduce friction.

Helen: What if I rub my body with a dryer sheet? Will that work? Let us know if you try it.

Caroline: I know. Yeah, just let us know how that goes, guys. Oh gosh.

Helen: I have a feeling that you probably want to avoid synthetics when you’re sewing your own tops and use more natural fiber fabrics. And they do retain moisture better than polyester and they don’t have that clingy problem. So for light and drapey tops, silk or rayon are your go-to choices. We’ve already mentioned the drawbacks of silk. It’s more expensive and it usually needs to be hand washed, but it’s also really beautiful and professional-looking. Rayon is both drapey and affordable, but the colours do fade a bit more easily than silk. So keep that in mind. Cotton shirtings are also great for crisper professional tops. Oxford and poplin make great button ups. Lawn is slightly drapier, so that’s better for less structured styles. But maybe your go to professional shirt is just a classic button up. I mean, it doesn’t get better than that.

Caroline: Oh yeah. Totally. And I’ve seen some really cool blends. I know we got, we get a lot of questions at Blackbird about, like, “What fabric can I wear that’s, like, natural, but doesn’t wrinkle?” And the answer usually is, “That fabric doesn’t exist.” But sometimes when you blend, like, a rayon with a cotton or a cotton with a nylon, it’ll just bring down that like wrinkle factor a little bit. So you can experiment with different blends and see what works for you.

Helen: Totally. Okay, enough about tops. It’s time for jackets, jackets, jackets!

Caroline: Okay, long-time listeners will know that we’ve already had an episode about coats. But first of all, that was almost six years ago. Can you believe, Helen?

Helen: No, it wasn’t. Stop it.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. And second of all, jackets are different from coats, right?

Helen: I mean, kind of. Let’s talk about it. What makes a jacket versus a coat? Here are some definitions from the handy Merriam Webster dictionary. “A coat is an outer garment worn on the upper body and varying in length and style according to fashion and use.”

Caroline: And “A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually having a front opening, collar, lapel, sleeves, and pockets.”

Helen: Oh, well, thanks for being so specific, Merriam Webster.

Caroline: Yeah, that totally clears everything up.

Helen: Oh, it’s for the upper body. Oh, okay.

Caroline: Yeah, of course.

Helen: Most jackets and coats would easily fit into both of those definitions. And the truth is that there’s no, you know, authoritative source that can tell us the exact difference between a coat and a jacket. I mean, if you’re listening, if you’re an authoritative source on the subject, let us know. But there’s definitely a lot of crossover between the two. And generally speaking, here’s what we see as the main differences. So, jackets are usually made of lighter fabrics than coats. Think denim, twill, and satin versus, like, boiled wool, down-stuffed nylon, melton wool, those kind of fabrics.

Caroline: Yeah. Jackets are also usually shorter than coats. They can go from crop length to hip length, and coats often go longer than that.

Helen: When I hear the word coat, I think of a long wool coat with, like, a big chunky collar and like a beautiful silk or bemberg lining. And like, you’re walking through a winter wonderland. But, you know, when you’re out at someone’s house or something, you’re like, “Oh, I got to go. Let me get my coat.” That could mean literally anything, right? Like, that could mean a jacket. Colloquially, they’re all mixed up.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s so true. And there’s crossover, and there’s some exceptions as well. So, I think, you know, it’s sort of hard to define, exactly. But I think we should play a game. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Helen: Yes. Let’s play a game. Are you ready? Welcome to “Is it a jacket?

Caroline: Woo!

Helen: First up, we have the trench coat. Is it a jacket?

Caroline: Okay, well, it’s lightweight, so that to me is jacket-y.

Helen: Yes. And it’s usually long. Which is kind of coat-y

Caroline: But sometimes trenches are short, right? You can get a short trench coat.

Helen: Can you? I guess you can. Yeah. I don’t know. When you hear trench coat, are you thinking short coat, jacket?

Caroline: No, I do think long, but also, It’s called a trench coat, Helen.

Helen: I know, I know. But it’s more jacket-y, right?

Caroline: Yeah, okay. I think I, despite the fact that coat is in the name, I think it’s a jacket.

Helen: Yeah, I agree. Jacket. It’s a jacket.

Caroline: Trench coat is a jacket.

Helen: Don’t @ us. Okay, Next up the shacket. Is it a jacket?

Caroline: Okay, so it’s a top layer and it’s lighter weight than coats usually are, which to me is pretty jacket-y.

Helen: Yeah, and it’s also very shirt-like. It has a lot of shirt-y details, like, it’s got a collar, sleeve plackets, back yoke. It’s kind of just like a heavier flannel shirt in a way. Obviously, that’s where the name comes from. Shirt, jacket, shacket.

Caroline: Yeah, I mean, I think it’s a jacket, decidedly.

Helen: Yeah, it can’t be a coat, right? It usually doesn’t have a lining. It doesn’t even have a lining. Get out of here.

Caroline: No lining, no coat. Come on. Okay. All right, next is the cape. Is a cape a jacket?

Helen: Some capes are drapey, like, wrap kind of style. That doesn’t seem very jacket-like.

Caroline: Okay, but I could see an argument for more tailored capes, but the longer and heavier you get, the more I would see it on the coat side.

Helen: Yeah. Because usually it’s made out of those, like, wool fabrics and it has that beautiful lining and, again, you’re in the winter wonderland and the snow is falling and you have a hot chocolate and you’re wearing a coat.

Caroline: I love these pictures you make.

Helen: I don’t know. But would you call it a coat? I’d probably still just call it a cape.

Caroline: Okay, but cape patterns are also usually categorized under jackets and coats by, like, pattern companies when you’re shopping.

Helen: That’s true, because cape isn’t something that necessarily a lot of people have in their closets. But I don’t think it’s a jacket. Not every outerwear piece is a jacket or a coat. And since this one doesn’t have sleeves, I don’t know if it can qualify as a jacket.

Caroline: Okay.

Helen: Okay.

Caroline: I concede. I think it’s neither.

Helen: It’s neither. Get out of here!

Caroline: Get out of here! Why is this even in here?

Helen: Okay, next up we have the duster. Is it a jacket?

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Okay. Nowadays, dusters are usually a long lightweight layer.

Helen: Yeah, that’s true. They could even be made, like, in light fabrics, like linen and stuff like that. But historically, dusters were long coats that people wore to protect themselves. Like, When they were on their horse from like trail dust and stuff.

Caroline: Yeah. I feel like you don’t wear a jacket on a horse. You wear a coat, right?

Helen: Well, I mean jockeys aren’t wearing coats, are they? I don’t watch horse racing very much.

Caroline: Okay, I’m sorry. I feel like you know more horse people than I do.

Helen: I feel like I think they’re wearing jackets. You know, they’re wearing, like, very tailored, smart-looking jackets if they’re doing, like, dressage and stuff like that.

Caroline: Okay, so maybe it depends. Like, if you’re wearing a knit duster, for example, I would think that would fall more under the sweater category. But if you’re wearing a traditional long coat, that’s definitely a coat. But what about a woven duster, like the Moss Jacket?

Helen: Oh, yeah.

Caroline: I think that one qualifies as a jacket.

Helen: Well, yeah.

Helen: Is that even a duster? I don’t know, I always thought dusters had to be super long because it’s like, they’re dusting the ground, you know?

Caroline: Maybe a duster is just its own thing, also.

Helen: Get out of here!

Caroline: Get out of here.

Helen: I think a duster is a, I was going to say jacket, but then I was like, no, I think it’s a coat. I think a duster is a coat.

Caroline: Oh my gosh, okay. Undecided on this one. I think it’s a jacket.

Helen: Okay, great. Well, podcast over.

Caroline: Okay, okay, one more, one more. What about the hoodie?

Helen: I mean, we don’t usually call, like, sweatshirts jacket, and it’s pretty much a sweatshirt, right?

Caroline: Yeah, but it does have, like, a zipper down the front a lot of the time, which makes it feel more jacket-like.

Helen: Yeah. What about, like, fleece jackets? Like, they’re almost like hoodies, right? But they, they become jackets when they’re fleecy-ness.

Caroline: So, like, fabric-dependent, potentially.

Helen:Yeah, because if it’s sweatshirt fabric, I don’t think that’s a jacket. That’s a hoodie. But hoodies don’t all have zippers. Do they?

Caroline: No, they don’t all have zippers.

Helen: I, I feel like I don’t, I understand less now after playing this game.

Caroline: This didn’t help at all.

Helen: This didn’t help at all.

Helen: A hoodie is its own thing. It’s not a jacket.

Caroline: Okay, okay, okay, fine, fine. Alright, well, if we haven’t lost you yet, in this episode, we’re going to go over a bunch of different jacket styles. We’re going to recommend fabrics, we’re going to give sewing tips, we’re going to name some indie patterns that go with each one. And we’ll define some jacket-specific terms and talk about how to choose the right jacket for you. But first, Helen, let’s talk about some jacket-making memories, because I feel like you have made many jackets. And some of them have been kind of sentimental, right?

Helen: It’s true. Yes, one of my first forays back into sewing, when I got back into it in my mid-twenties, was the Sewaholic Minoru Jacket. And I still get emotional thinking about it because it was such a huge project for little baby sewing me. When I think back on it, like, the fact that I chose that pattern and tried to sew a lined jacket after, you know, I had done, like, sewing in high school and home ec and stuff, but it had been a while since I had sewn anything. And I love diving in the deep end, as you know, but it was so challenging to sew this jacket. And it still turned out pretty good, but there’s elements of it that I laugh out loud at because, like, I forgot to like change my stitching back from basting to top stitching but I just like, went with it, so some of the top stitching is basting. And like things like that where you’re like, “Aw, that’s cute.”

Caroline: It is cute. It’s wild that this was one of your first projects getting back into sewing. Like, overachiever.

Helen: Right? It has, like, a, a zip in the collar that the hood, like, stores into.

Caroline: Wow.

Helen: I can’t believe. Even now, I would be like, “Uh, I don’t know. That seems like a lot of work.” But it is such a cute jacket. And it’s too small for me now, but I did keep it for sentimental reasons. So that’s one that I always think about when I think of my jackets. And then the Kelly Anorak, when that pattern came out, I sewed that up. And that was also a pretty big project for me at the time. I love how it turned out. It’s so beautiful. It was so much fun to sew. And then in our pattern collection, we have the Wildwood Jacket, which is one of my personal favourite patterns that I have. I just love how it pairs quilting with garment sewing so perfectly. And I’m a big fan of the quilted jacket because it’s the most comfortable thing to wear.

Caroline: Yes. I’m also a big fan of a quilted jacket.

Helen: Yeah, tell me about your favourite jacket projects over the years.

Caroline: Well, thinking about quilted jackets, my Tamarack Jacket was a huge project and I’ve talked about it on the show before. It took me a really long time to get it done because it was just so daunting and took so much time, but it has been worn tons over the years. I also had a Robson Coat, which was the trench coat pattern from Sewaholic, which is actually a jacket, not a coat, by the way, as we’ve determined. But I donated it recently because it didn’t really fit me anymore, but I did have that one for years and that was such a satisfying project. Wasn’t lined. It was finished with binding through all the seams. So it looks really cool from the inside. And I really loved that project. So I have really fond memories of that one.

Helen: Yeah, so cute.

Caroline: I also really love wearing my Pona Jackets, my long ones. I have a linen one and a hemp cotton denim one. But I didn’t actually make those, so I don’t know if they count. Because I’m pretty sure you made them, Helen.

Helen: Well, I mean, one of us made them, so it’s fine.

Caroline: Yeah, they were kindly gifted to me.

Helen: Yeah. Well, you modeled for that pattern. And if our listeners haven’t seen those photos, you can check them out on the website under the Pona Jacket. Yeah, so cute.

Caroline: Oh yeah, but I do, I love a quilted jacket. I also have a Grainger Coat, which is a Muna and Broad quilted coat, which, I don’t know. Is it a jacket? Is it a coat? They call it a coat. Could be a jacket. I don’t know.

Helen: Theirs is a bit longer, so maybe that’s why they went with coat instead of jacket, you know?

Caroline: Yeah. longer, oversized. It’s a great piece. I love it.

Helen: Did the second one take less time than the first one, the Tamarack?

Caroline: No, no.

Helen: It still took forever.

Caroline: They both dragged on. It’s not so much that it took forever. It just was like, it was involved. So I took a lot of breaks in between. It was one in my WIP pile for a really long time.

Helen: Right. Yeah. That makes sense. Okay. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty and talk about some of the details that you might find in jacket patterns. Lapels are the flaps that fold out from the front opening of a jacket. And they’re often notched, but not always. A jacket’s lapels are an important part of its style. A wide lapel looks a bit more playful while a narrow lapel looks a bit more neat. And you can customize the width and shape of your lapel by slashing into your pattern and spreading or overlapping the pieces. Or you can redraw the lapels completely. The only part that needs to stay the same is the part that’s attached to the front opening. So you can use that as a starting point. This is a really fun opportunity to play around and customize. You can cut a few muslin collars and see how they look. It’s a great opportunity to try your hand at a little pattern drafting on a small area of a garment.

Caroline: Totally. Another lapel tip is that a lapel is made up of two layers. So there’s the top layer, which is going to be seen all the time, and the bottom layer, which is going to face towards the body of your jacket. And if you cut the bottom layer slightly smaller around the outside edge, I’m talking like an eighth of an inch smaller, the top layer will roll over slightly and hide the seam. So you’ll have to slightly stretch the bottom layer to match the upper layer. But this works really well to sort of hide that lining. Or you could just make sure to understitch your lapels and that’s gonna help keep the seam in the right place. You kinda wanna understitch either way, I think. But yeah, that’s a great tip.

Helen: It’s also a great place to put a different colour or print of fabric. Get a little pop of colour.

Caroline: I was just thinking that. I love that look. Yes.

Helen: Yeah, do that on the facing of the jacket and then also the collar. So it’s kind of consistent all the way around your neck. And it almost, like, really highlights your face because it draws the eye.

Caroline: Yeah, totally.

Helen: A vent is a slit in a jacket that gives room for movement. They’re especially common in blazers. A hip-length fitted jacket without a vent could bunch up when you sit down, but a jacket with a vent or two lays more smoothly because it makes room for your hips when you’re seated. Usually jackets have either one vent in the back or two vents near the side seams to kind of create like a little butt flap.

Caroline: Yeah, vents are like those things that are often stitched closed in ready-to-wear and then you have to remember to, like, snip them open. I always want to do that when I see people on the street with their, like, vents stitched closed. I just want to, like, whip out a pair of scissors and just be like, snip snip!

Helen: Yes! Let me help you.

Caroline: You’re welcome. Jackets have a single breast or a double breast. A single-breasted jacket meets in the front with one line of closures, like buttons or a zipper, and a double-breasted jacket crosses over in the front and it’s going to have two lines of closures, usually buttons.

Helen: Yeah, think, like, peacoat, but jacket-style.

Caroline: Pea coat! Oh my gosh, remember when pea coats were in?

Helen: Is a pea coat a jacket?

Caroline: I think a peacoat is a jacket.

Helen: No! No, no.

Caroline: Oh my gosh, like the…okay, no. Listen, the, like, 90s, like corduroy peacoats, those are jackets.

Helen: You’re googling it right now? Are you googling?

Caroline: I’m googling it.

Helen: Well, because a peacoat, to me, usually is like a wool coat, but you’re talking about maybe more of a jacket-y thing?

Caroline: Okay, hold on. Pause for googling.

Helen: When you google “peacoat,” that’s a coat.

Caroline: Yeah. Okay, but do you remember what I’m talking about? Like, I feel like in the 90s and early aughts, corduroy or, like, velvet pea coats were in.

Helen: Ooh.

Caroline: And like, to me, those were, like, jackets.

Helen: more like jackets? Well…sure.

Caroline: Weigh in, everyone.

Helen: I’m willing to let you have it.

Caroline: We need to do some polls on Instagram when this episode comes out. Is it a coat or is it a jacket?

Helen: Trench coat and pea coat are definitely interesting ones, because the, you would think…

Caroline: Yeah, I think they could swing either way.

Helen: Okay, some jackets have hoods, which is one of my favourite jacket parts. They’re so handy. I think making a muslin of your hood is underrated. They don’t usually come in a variety of sizes, but people do have a variety of different head sizes and neck and even like, the way that you style your hair can impact the size of hood that you want. So if you’re making a hooded jacket, it’s a good opportunity to just test out those hood pattern pieces. They’re pretty small too. So you can just go for it and test the hood.

Caroline: Yeah. It is kind of crazy that people don’t muslin hoods all the time because our heads, like, I have a big head and hoods often don’t fit me and I never think to muslin a hood, but it’s so annoying when it doesn’t fit. So, note to self: in the future, I will always muslin my hoods.

Helen: Always.

Caroline: A storm flap is a detail that you usually see on trench coats, a style of coat that was popularized during World War I. It comes down from the shoulder seam over the chest where it either hangs free or buttons down with a single button. On early trench coats, there was an opening for ventilation underneath the flap, but nowadays it’s not usually functional. I’ve never seen a modern trench coat with an opening underneath the storm flap. It’s just fashion. They do look kind of cool. Honestly, I’m a fan of a storm flap.

Helen: Yeah, it does look cool, for sure. And I like the idea of ventilation. Maybe that’s something that you could add if you were customizing a pattern for your own personal use. ‘Cause I get hot. So I love when there’s little breathable, like, zips under the arms. I love that.

Caroline: Cool.

Helen: Cool, cool, cool. You know, like on rain coats that have zips under the arms?

Caroline: Yeah, yeah, no, I do. I’m just imagining you, like, you’re like, hot, you’re hanging out with like friends. You’re like, “Hold on, guys. I just gotta unzip my pits.”

Helen: “I gotta unzip my pits.”

Caroline: Like, “Just gotta let these air out a little bit.”

Helen: Look, I keep them unzipped all the time. So I’m not going to be in that situation. They’re always unzipped.

Caroline: Got it, got it. Oh my gosh.

Helen: Okay. Lastly, an epaulette is something that ornaments or protects the shoulder. These started out in military regalia and they have those great golden shoulder coverings that sometimes have fringe hanging down over the sleeve cap. But they’re a big thing in fashion, too. They can be as simple as a little fabric strap or tab that buttons across the shoulder seam on, like, a utility-style shirt, or as complicated as you can imagine, with beads and studs and sequins or feathers. On jacket patterns, simpler epaulettes are more common. You usually see them on trench coats or leather jackets, but you can really add epaulettes to pretty much any jacket that you want to embellish. For pre-made epaulettes, you can just attach them by hand the same way you would sew on, like, a decorative patch.

Caroline: Yes, okay. So, now that we’ve defined some terms, we’re going to share a few pieces of general jacket sewing advice. And I don’t think you’re going to like the biggest, most annoying one that I’m about to say, but…

Helen: I like it. I like it.

Caroline: Okay, some people might not like it. Make a muslin, people! Jackets are not a quick project. You’re going to be putting lots of time into this, so make sure that you like the fit before you cut into your nice fabric, which is often pricier than, you know, just a regular shirting or linen. A lot of the time, fabrics that you use for jackets are a little bit stiff.

Helen: Totally. And this is a piece that you might end up keeping and wearing for many, many years to come. Jackets often stick around in our wardrobes longer than other garments do. So it is something you want to put effort into getting right, right off the bat. The nice thing about a jacket muslin is you don’t have to do the whole thing. We’re not talking about finishing it and lining it and all that. Literally front, back, sleeves. That’s, like, the bare minimum. And if you do that, that’s a huge step in the right direction to getting the fit right before you begin.

Caroline: Yeah, maybe a collar, just to see how that looks, right?

Helen: That’s nice. Yeah, that’s nice.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Put a collar on. Why not? But like, you could just kind of baste it onto the neckline. You don’t need to, like, interface it and sew it together and turn it right side…like, no.

Caroline: You’re not doing buttonholes. You’re not doing all the really complicated bits. Totally.

Helen: To go along with that, don’t be afraid of ease. You definitely want room for movement, plus room for the clothes you’re going to be wearing under it. So when you’re making your muslin, keep that in mind.

Caroline: A jacket’s an intermediate to advanced project. There are lots of tricky fabrics and fiddly details that you just don’t find on elastic waist shorts or simple dresses. This doesn’t mean that you can’t do it if you’re a beginner. You can sew anything, remember. I just want everyone to go into jacket making with, like, a realistic idea of what’s ahead. But on the other hand, if you’re looking for a challenge, a jacket project might be for you.

Helen: Yeah. It’s true. There’s a lot of additional steps that you don’t necessarily do when you’re making your average shirt or skirt or whatever, but I think those steps are really fun and exciting. So I think it’s a really cool project that’s quite fun to work through, even if it is a little bit more challenging.

Caroline: Yeah. Just don’t try to, like, make it in a day, you know?

Helen: Yeah, give yourself some time.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Let’s talk about classic jacket styles. We’re not going to debate. And we’re going to share some patterns and tips for each one as we go along.

Caroline: That sounds great. Okay, let’s kick it off with denim jackets. These are such a classic. They really go with everything. The fronts are often paneled, which looks great with classic copper topstitching. The bottom edge is usually finished with a band. The buttons are jeans buttons, including the ones on the chest pocket flaps, and they have a collar and a back yoke. Sometimes they have cuffs and sleeve plackets. So there are tons of techniques that you can try out working with denim jackets. And the bonus is that denim is really fun to work with.

Helen: Yeah, it really is. And we have a whole episode about sewing denim. Lots of advice will cross over into sewing denim jackets. It’s episode 107, so we’ll link that up in the show notes. But we’ll give a few of our top tips right now. We love Mara 70 thread for topstitching. Use it only as your top thread. You don’t need to put the top stitching thread in the bobbin. It’s too thick. So just put it in the top and lengthen your stitch length. Test out your tension on scraps to make sure the stitching looks even and neat and you’re getting what you want before you proceed.

Caroline: Yeah, and you want to use a hump jumper tool or some cardboard to keep your foot level when you are about to sew over thick parts, like where seams meet. You just lift up the foot, slide the tool under the back, and lower the foot to get through that portion.

Helen: Yes, and jeans needles, jeans needles. You need special needles for working with denim because it’s so thick. So that will go a long way. Many denim jackets are unlined. You can do a simple seam finish by serging or zigzagging over the edge or you can level it up and cover the seam allowance with beautiful bias binding. You can also underline jackets. I made a denim jacket once with a flannel underlining, so, just sticking the fabric together and treating it as one. And that looked really great.

Caroline: Yes, love that. A good indie pattern option for a more fitted jean jacket is the Audrey by Seamwork. And if you’re looking for a more oversized look, you can try the Stevie by Style Arc.

Helen: Next up we have chore jackets, sometimes also called chore coats. These usually have a simpler design than denim jackets. It’s kind of like a stripped-down denim jacket. But like denim jackets, they’re usually made of heavy cotton fabrics like canvas, twill, denim. And they’re usually unlined. They tend to be a little oversized, easy to throw on over a long shirt or a light sweater.

Helen: So they’re very wearable.

Caroline: Yeah, and easier to fit too, which is great.

Helen: True. True. One thing I’ve noticed about chore coats is that they don’t always have jeans hardware buttons. They sometimes just have regular buttons, which is an option regardless of which style you’re making. But you might end up sewing buttons onto your chore jacket. So, sewing buttons through thick fabrics can be a bit challenging. You want to make sure your hand sewing needle is nice and sturdy. There’s a few things you can do to help you grip the needle and pull it through the fabric. Needle grippers are little flat rubber circles that wrap around the end of the needle as it comes out of the fabric to kind of pull it the rest of the way through. If you have one of those rubber jar opener things, you can make your own needle gripper by cutting off a piece. A piece of leather can work. A silicone or rubber-coated glove, like a quilting glove or like a lightweight gardening glove, is really handy. And of course, if you have a pair of pliers lying around, those really work, but they can damage and bend the needle. So just keep that in mind.

Caroline: Yeah, don’t go too hard with the pliers. Chore jackets look really great in corduroy. The details of a denim jacket pattern would get lost in the fluffy pile, but the simplicity of a chore coat is perfect for this fabric .The Potter’s Jacket by Modern Sewing Co. is a nice choice for a pattern. It has clean lines, bold buttons, and big bellows pockets in the front.

Helen: Next up we have bomber jackets, also known as flight jackets. And these are more cropped jackets that have ribbing cinching them around the neckline, cuffs, and hem.

Caroline: Yeah, early aviator jackets were made of leather, but by mid-century they were being made of lightweight nylon, and they had crossed over into being more of a fashion item.

Helen: Bomber jackets are a great opportunity to make a light layer. They look really good with light to mid-weight fabrics like cotton, sateen, poly satin, and water-resistant performance fabrics, or even fancy fabrics like brocades. I really like that crossover between the casual style and the fancier fabric. So that’s something that you see often in bomber jackets, and I think it does pair really well together. One thing to consider is that shiny fabrics tend to fray a lot. So to get that shine, the fibers have to be really smooth, and the satin weave has a lot of floating yarns that tend to come undone. So that’s why they fray so much. And if you’re dealing with a fray-prone fabric, you can add a little extra seam allowance to your pattern pieces to account for it. And just remember how much you added so you can sew accurate seams. Another technique would be to finish the edges of your pieces with a zigzag or serge before you even start sewing. So you just go all the way around, get rid of all of that fray potential before you start sewing the project.

Caroline: A satin bomber jacket sort of makes me want to like, do some sort of big embroidery on the back. You know those bomber jackets that have like, the big, like, flower on the back or something?

Helen: I was imagining a peacock for some reason.

Caroline: Wow, I love it. Or like, I don’t know, if you’re, like, on a bowling team. You could have, like, your logo back there. You know, it just feels so cool and retro.

Helen: Love that.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Well, the Causeway Bomber Jacket by Itch to Stitch is a great pattern option and it comes with your choice of four cup sizes. Pretty cool.

Helen: Ooh, sweet.

Caroline: Okay, blazers are the most classic jacket style there is. There’s so much tailoring tradition behind this one garment. It’s also sometimes called a suit jacket, but only when it has matching pants or a skirt to go with it.

Helen: If you want to get super into tailoring like Emilia Bergoglio or Julia Bobbin, you can do pad stitching by hand and shape your wool fabric with a steamy iron. I’m not going to go that deep into high-level techniques right now, but just know there’s so much gorgeous sewing techniques involved in sewing blazers. Definitely follow Emilia and Julia if you want some great inspo. And listen to our interview with Emilia if you want to hear more about learning how to tailor. But right now we’re going to talk about entry-level blazers.

Caroline: The best entry point for sewists who’ve never made a blazer is the Jasika pattern by Closet Core. This is a single-breasted blazer with notched lapels and a back vent. And Closet Core has great instructions in their patterns and they have nice resources to go with it, including fitting advice and a free pattern for shoulder pads and sleeve heads. And there’s also a paid e-course that you can take. So, lots of resources there.

Helen: Totally. The fabric that you choose for your blazer will depend a bit on what kind of interfacing you’re planning to use. A lot of modern blazer patterns call for fusible interfacing. And if they do, you probably want to go for a medium to heavy weight suiting fabric to go along with that because the lightweight wool suitings tend to bubble up when you try to fuse them with a home iron.

Helen: So here are some of the fabrics recommended by Heather Lou from Closet Core for blazers: wool melton, wool flannel, wool crepe, wool tweed. I see a common thread here. Crisp textured cottons, heavy to medium-weight linen, and synthetic suiting fabrics with some texture. All these fabrics have enough body to hold their shape and enough texture to hold the fusible interfacing. So it’s kind of a balance there.

Caroline: Yeah, and you want something that’s going to, like, hold a press well. So even some synthetic suiting fabrics can press well. And I would test that if you can, or even just, like, fold the fabric in the fabric store and see if it holds like a fold nicely. ‘Cause you don’t want to use a fabric that doesn’t press well for a blazer. I feel like that pressing is so important. If your pattern suggests sew-in interfacing, you have more flexibility with the fabrics you can choose. Just keep in mind that sew-in interfacing is more difficult to handle than fusible, so you want to take your time and do lots of basting here.

Helen: And if you want to make, like, more of a low-key version of a blazer, we do have the Pona Jacket over at Helen’s Closet. This is a good choice. It’s like a simplified, slightly oversized, slightly drapey blazer look. And you still get the polish of the notched collar, but without all the fuss of the traditional tailoring. So it was truly designed with beginner jacket makers in mind.

Caroline: Totally. I think I was telling you this before the show, but my Pona Jackets, they feel like blazers to me. I can throw them on the way I would throw on a blazer, but it just feels a bit more casual. I also want to throw in a mention of the Heather Blazer by Friday Pattern Co. because they have a really good simple blazer and some of my team members have made it. And it looks great in, like, a linen if you’re looking for something a little bit more casual, but also looks great in a suiting. So maybe a little bit more of an entry-level-friendly classic blazer.

Helen: Totally.

Caroline: The trench coat is such a classic. Even if you put a twist on it, like cropping it or making it in a bright-coloured fabric, it’s still such a put-together look. We mentioned that trench coats were popularized in the early 20th century. The style of coat was around for about a hundred years before, but it was not issued by the military until World War I, and that’s when it got its name. It was worn in the trenches.

Helen: Nowadays, a trench coat is a lightweight coat or jacket that keeps many of the classic details of the original, like the storm flap, the tie belt, the epaulettes. Most trench coats are double-breasted, though they can be single-breasted too, and they almost always close with buttons. Some also have a cape that hangs down the back and it helps to shed rain off of the shoulders. I always really like that cape detail. It feels fancy.

Caroline: It does feel fancy. Traditionally, trench coats are made of a light brown gabardine. Gabardine is a tightly woven, water resistant twill that was patented by Burberry in 1888. It was revolutionary at the time because the wool yarns were treated with lanolin before weaving to waterproof them, and the resulting fabric was a lot lighter and more flexible than fabrics that were waterproofed by rubberized cloth. Nowadays, gabardine fabrics can be made of wool, cotton, texturized poly, or a blend. And if you want a classic-looking and water-resistant trench coat, gabardine is the way to go.

Helen: You don’t need to limit yourself to only gabardine. There are lots of fabrics that will work well, like medium-weight twill, wool coating, heavy linen, cotton sateen. These are all fun choices. And you can try out using fabrics like medium-weight linen or poly crepe if you want that drapier look. I think you could also try a technical, like, raincoat fabric if you wanted to go for more of a full-on raincoat look. Lots of options here. I did not know that about the lanolin being a part of the waterproofing process. That’s so cool.

Caroline: It’s really cool. Yeah.

Helen: As far as patterns to get the trench coat look, the Isla Trench by Named has a very classic aesthetic. It’s double-breasted, long, straight cut, and has all the traditional trench details. And then the Eliza Trench by Papercut has a more streamlined look. It’s single-breasted with raglan sleeves, and it has that cape back.

Caroline: Yes. Okay, next up, parkas, anoraks, and puffer jackets. But first, let’s talk a bit about these terms. According to the Fashion History Timeline by FIT, “An anorak is a jacket that typically has a hood, But not always, which was originally worn by the indigenous peoples of the Arctic, designed to keep them warm and protected from harsh weather.” So “anorak” has a long history and current usage that is specific to indigenous peoples of the Arctic. The word is an adaptation from “annoraaq” in the Greenlandic Inuit language.

Helen: And similarly, “parka” is a word derived from the language of the Nentsi people of northern Russia and it refers to a similar style of jacket.

Caroline: And there are other words for these coats and jackets that are used by Indigenous peoples of the Arctic, but anorak and parka are the ones that have passed into English. We wanted to mention this because the words anorak and parka have multiple meanings in fashion design. Anorak and parka are used in ways that are only loosely connected to indigenous jacket traditions. They’ve become kind of their own things. So here’s our understanding of how they’re used in the fashion industry today.

Helen: An anorak is usually a light or mid-weight water-resistant jacket. I think the Kelly Anorak by Closet Core is a great example of this style. It has the snaps down the front, the drawstring at the waist, and your choice of the hood or standing collar. One of the samples is made in an olive green fabric, which is kind of the classic anorak colour.

Caroline: Yeah, and parkas are much warmer than anoraks. They sometimes have faux fur trim on the hood. The outside layers often made of water-resistant fabric. They might be puffy, with a layer of stuffing or down in between the outer fabric and lining. And the puffy ones that have lines of quilting are sometimes called puffer jackets.

Caroline: The Emmi Jacket by Papercut is a super cute and versatile option for this. It’s designed for pre-quilted fabrics, but you can absolutely quilt your own and customize it. And this is the coolest thing about it: it comes with four interchangeable collars that you can button on or take off depending on the weather and the look that you want.

Helen: Okay, speaking of things being lined or puffy, let’s talk about teddy fleece and sherpa jackets. Teddy fleece and sherpa both refer to fabrics that feel a lot like sheep’s wool. One side is a smooth knit fabric and the other one has a really fluffy, almost bobbly nap.

Caroline: When I think of a sherpa-lined jacket, I think of a workwear style, like a denim jacket or a chore coat. One of the samples of the Thayer Jacket by Grainline Studio has a sherpa lining and it’s so cool and retro. It’s probably super warm too because that fluffy pile really traps air and insulates you.

Helen: You can use a sherpa-lined fabric as a main fabric too. I would just recommend choosing a pattern without a ton of details and extra seams because they will get lost in the pile and it will just be quite challenging to sew. Something really simple like the Cozi Jacket by Pattern Scout is perfect. It has a zip down the front, a kangaroo pocket, and your choice of a funnel neck or a hood. And we do have a few tips for you when you’re working with teddy fleece or sherpa. Try not to iron it because you can crush the pile and possibly melt it. If you absolutely must iron, use a press cloth and a low setting.

Caroline: Teddy fleece has a nap, so make sure to use the nap cutting layout. This is less important if you’re using it as a lining. If you are using it as a lining in your jacket, it’s so cute to also make the collar out of the fleece. It sort of, like, picks up that theme from the lining. And if you’re using it for your main fabric, choose patterns that are intended for wovens or for low-stretch knits. Teddy fleece doesn’t have much stretch to it.

Helen: Even though it’s a knit and knits don’t fray that much, it does shed. It will shed. So make sure to thoroughly finish all of your seams. And I would recommend keeping a vacuum handy so you can clean up as you go along. If you have, like, a little handheld vacuum you can just keep next to your sewing station, that’s so handy because, yeah, it’s a, it’s a whole thing.

Caroline: Yeah, and clips are way easier to handle than pins. So you can use Wonder Clips for sewing. One other thing I want to mention, from the perspective of a fabric store owner, is that teddy fleece and sherpa are super bulky fabrics. So if you’re ordering them online, expect to receive a very large box. If you’re going into a store to pick up some fleece, bring a giant bag or expect to leave with a garbage bag full of fabric, because it’s not going to fit in a regular bag. It’s just really bulky. It’s not the kind of thing that you probably want to, like, stash, you know.

Helen: Yeah. I actually do have some sherpa-lined denim and some teddy fleece in my stash right now and they’re taking up, the two of them is taking up a whole shelf in my cabinet. Like, they’re huge.

Caroline: It’s like, surprisingly bulky.

Helen: Okay, we’ve already debated shackets, but we do want to give some patterns and tips for this, because it is a great option for a jacket or jacket-like garment. Any oversized shirt pattern works well for a shacket. I made one with wool coating using my Cameron Button Up pattern and to kind of get the look, I sized up a couple sizes, and that accounted for the turn of the thick fabric and gave me room to wear things underneath it. Also, shackets just kind of look best when they’re a little bit oversized, I think. I’ve never really seen a fitted shacket.

Caroline: Yeah, I don’t think that would work.

Helen: You want it to be a bit loosey-goosey. And I would recommend using a lighter weight fabric for some parts of it, like, say, the inner side of the sleeve placket, maybe the inner part of the collar stand, the inner yoke, perhaps. That could make it easier to maneuver when you’re sewing those details. I also sized up the chest pockets and gave them flaps because I wanted it to look cooler and more outerwear-ish. So you can really play around with those details when you’re converting a shirt pattern into a jacket pattern.

Caroline: Yeah, there are some great patterns out there that are specifically for shackets. Muna and Broad has the Shoalhaven Shacket, which looks so nice and long and cozy. Hey June Handmade has the Fairmount Shacket, which is slightly more fitted. And fabric-wise, shackets are best for mid-weight woven fabrics. Thick flannels and lighter coatings are cozy and give a nice drape. Denims, corduroys, and twills would look amazing too. They’ll just have more body to them.

Helen: Yeah, totally. I really love a thick flannel shacket. That’s become one of my go-to pieces for fall and winter. It’s always so nice to throw it on and it feels like you’re wearing a blanket.

Caroline: Question for you: would a denim shacket just be a jean jacket?

Helen: I feel like a jean jacket has a, like, bottom hem band. Yeah. And the little tabby things at the back. And like, some of those more like classic denim, even just the hem band. Right? Whereas a shacket doesn’t have a hem band. Typically it…

Caroline: It has more of, like, a shirt hem.

Helen: Shirt hem, yeah. With the scoop. Yeah. That’s what I think of when I think “shacket,” which you can definitely make out of denim. But I think if you made, like, an oversized Cameron Button Up out of denim to wear as a shacket, that wouldn’t be a jean jacket. Although technically it is a jean jacket, ‘cause it’s a jacket made of denim.

Caroline: That clears it up. Thank you.

Helen: Yeah, no problem.

Caroline: One jacket style we’re not covering today is quilted jackets. You know we love them, but we do have an episode all about making quilted garments, so listen to episode 217 if you want a deep dive into those.

Helen: Oh, yes, we love a quilted jacket. And I wanted to add one last thing before we sign off, because I’m excited to do a little teaser. We have a new jacket pattern coming your way this fall, and I’m so excited about it. I would describe it as a coat. No, I’m just kidding. I would describe it as a shackety chore coat style with lots of options for pockets. We’ve got a collar option. We’ve got a hood option. There’s three different lengths. So there’s lots of versatility there as well. I am honestly having trouble defining it. It started as a shacket. Now we’re calling it a jacket. It’s probably never gonna be a full coat.

Caroline: I’m getting so overwhelmed by this, ‘cause I’m like, it’s a shacket, it’s a chore coat, it sounds like it has coat details. Is it a jacket or a coat? Is it a jacket or a coat? What is it?

Helen: It’s a jacket. It’s a jacket. There’s no lining.

Caroline: Okay.

Helen: So it’s easy peasy. But yeah, I’m so, so pumped for it. It probably won’t be out by the time this episode comes out, but soon, soon it is coming your way.

Caroline: Awesome. So exciting.

Helen: Yeah, I wish we could sit here and cover every single type of jacket, but I do have to do things like eat and pet my dog. And so …

Caroline: Yeah, I mean, pretty thorough job today. Not to toot our own horn, but, toot toot!

Helen: I think we crushed that.

Caroline: Yeah, we crushed it.

Helen: Let’s hit the road, jack…et.

Okay. That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me, Helen. at Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co., Caroline at Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns. And we’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Caroline: And you can support Love to Sew and get access to bonus content by subscribing on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. You even get to access the back catalog of bonus episodes. That is over 75 hours of Love to Sew. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew or check out our podcast page on Apple Podcasts for more info.

Helen: Head to www.lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, you can leave us a message at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428. Or send us an email at hello@lovetosewpodcast.com.

Caroline: Thank you to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant and Jordan Moore of The Pod Cabin is our editor. And thank you for listening. We’ll talk to you next week.

Helen: Bye bye.

Caroline: Bye.

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