Iconic Blue Jean Jacket: Part 2

It’s not complete, but my progress with the jean-jacket is before you, and I list a few sewing tips and trials I came across so far; some issues were anticipated and therefore prepared for. Others were not expected; I’ll live with them or work around them — or will make a note for the next jacket. Remember, this is a trial.

But first, look below.

Nothing is ever new. My sweet daughter unintentionally twinning with me decades later.

If you read the previous post, you know about my non-existence relationship with a jean-jacket — ever. I take back those words! A photo from 1988 was unearthed, of me with my husband looking dapper in his zip-up jacket and me in a loose, acid washed, big shouldered jean-jacket. I think I see shoulder pads and plastic buttons; it may have been purchased from the Gap and now exists somewhere in a landfill. Then, see my daughter Sarah in her jean-jacket and striped top in 2015 — she twinned with Mama 27 years later! Her jacket is still in frequent rotation, though. Sartorial serendipity (I’ve always wanted to use those two words. If you can think of other words, please do so in the comment section; let’s have some fun and caption this photo collage).

This is how far I have reached with the beginning piece of the great 2025 wardrobe plan; on the to-do list —- attach waistband and tabs, finish sleeve hems without cuffs, more topstitching, buttons and buttonholes.

Moving on to some nitty gritty of the sewing process:

1. Addressing the bulk when you have to topstitch across a few layers of denim. This is where you would be sure to grade the seams, especially the ones that intersect. I want to point out the yoke seam where the pocket bag, pocket-flap and yoke are sewn and topstitched together. That’s a bunch of denim layers in a horizontal seam. I anticipated that one and made sure to grade enough of the vertical bodice-panel seams, and the ones inside the pocket flaps.

The entire seam could have been graded, though.

2. Sometimes it’s the pattern. A testy process in this pattern was the small area inside where the top end of the front facing should be enclosed inside the collar seam. It didn’t. What happened here? Is it me, or the pattern? I can see thread pokies —

3. Be not afraid to switch up the steps in pattern instructions. This one calls for making all buttonholes in one of the last steps. I did not think ahead and can now anticipate a heck of a time making a machine buttonhole on the little pocket flap — what self-respecting jean-jacket will go without a button/buttonhole on the pocket flap? Now, a handmade buttonhole seems to be a viable option. I’ll report back in the next post.

See what I mean? The pocket flap doesn’t have enough room for the automatic buttonhole foot.

More later. Enjoy your spring, guys!

Samina

2 thoughts on “Iconic Blue Jean Jacket: Part 2”

  1. A Nancy Zieman tip was to shift the side seams on the flap to a single seam in the middle. Make a duplicate pattern piece of the flap. Cut it through the center and add seam allowances. Pin the pieces onto either side of the original piece, overlapping the side seams so that you’.’ve created one continuous piece with the seam in the underside. If desired, you can move the seam so that the under flap pieces are split in 1/3 and 2/3 pieces. If this is all terribly confusing, I can send drawings. Louise Cutting uses this method for collars.

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    1. Thanks Cathy, for reminding me of the late Nancy Zieman’s ingenious idea. I remember it. I just saw the same technique on Louise Cutting’s pattern! The sleeves on this blue-jean jacket are taken from Louise’s pattern. For sure, please send a drawing of the relocation of the flap seams; I will use it in a (near) future jacket and also post your drawing, if that’s okay with you. You can attach the drawing and send it through the “Contact” page on this blog.

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