Score! The 1977 Vintage Jacket Idea is Revived

On a spur-of-the-moment browse through a local sewing machine shop, I found some really good cotton for the second version of the jacket that I couldn't complete with the railroad twill. Now it will have railroad twill trim. The main fabric is a deep navy blue, with a texture a bit similar to a pique. It's 100% cotton, 56" wide. I bought the 1 1/2 yards left on the end of the bolt. Although I usually try to avoid the bolt ends because they often have wrinkles that won't come out, this cotton washed out smooth.

I have made this pattern once before, out of leftover fabric. For that first trial, there was not enough to make the pockets. Thus, the pockets for this pattern are a first time make. After a couple of mock-ups, I worked out how to attach the bias binding and reduce the bulk at the corners where the pocket will be top-stitched to the jacket. The railroad twill is heavy fabric, so top-stitching through multiple layers of twill and the textured cotton would have been difficult. I opted to hand sew the binding to the jacket at the pocket edges. I also finessed the edges of the binding by folding it over and stitching it right sides together before sewing the binding down by hand on the wrong side. I found that trimming the main fabric away from this seam at the corners reduced the bulk.

Most of the construction went smoothly according to the detailed vintage pattern instructions, which I found very helpful. The corners of the front yoke are reinforced with a bias square where it joins the front placket. The body is gathered and attached to the yokes for both the front and the back. The shoulders and side seams are sewn together. The hem is blind hemmed, but with the dark fabric, a topstitched hem was hardly visible. The collar pieces are attached to the jacket and to the facing and the jacket and facing are basted together before binding. Button loops are attached to the front and hand sewn to the facing after the binding is applied to the fronts. The pockets are constructed and sewn on. Finally, the cuff and sleeves are sewn together and sewn to the body. Prior to all this sewing however, came my only mistake, resulting in the interfacing being fused to the wrong piece. Oops.

Placket interfaced correctly in first jacket

That's right (i.e.wrong). I fused the interfacing to the facing rather than the jacket. I did it correctly the first time I followed this pattern, but not this time. The interfacing should be attached to the jacket over the placket seam. Since I did not think it would hold in place with the fusing to the seam, I fused it neatly to the facing, forgetting to check my first version. The old instructions call for a sewn in interfacing which would probably be better for this jacket. However, I wanted to use some black fusible interfacing I bought on a whim when interfacing was on sale. I didn't think I would have another project that would use this interfacing since it is very heavy, even though it is labeled feather weight. I have had fusible interfacing bubble after washing on other projects.

Facing interfaced, placket bare in second jacket

I reasoned that attaching it to the facing would hide any bubbling. Once I realized what I had done wrong, I followed through and used the interfaced collar piece as the facing. Now that it is all constructed, I can't see that it made any difference in the fit or drape of the jacket.

Finished Placket

The sleeves are also a first make, since the original version has long sleeves.  The short sleeve pieces were missing from the first pattern (a size 14) I purchased. This version uses the short sleeve pattern pieces from a size 12 pattern. There's a small difference in the fit, but not enough to warrant an adjustment. The contrast on the short sleeve is actually a lining on the inside hem. After it is sewn on, a cuff is turned up to allow the contrasting fabric to show. It would have a smoother appearance if the trim was sewn to the outside of the sleeve. The advantage to the contrast lining is that it offers choices on the depth of the cuff and even to not have a cuff.

Sleeve Cuff

There's a lot of details, hand sewing and facing in this rather casual jacket. It is probably not something I will make often, but it has a very cute vintage appeal, especially with the short sleeves, quirky pockets and toggle buttons. It was gratifying to be able to use the buttons from the Netherlands since the binding has an off-white background.

That's a final look at the vintage jacket. It's part of a complete coordinating set, with t-shirt and skirt. In navy blue, it works with a few other items I have sewn. I have one other piece of navy fabric to use. It will be up next.