Just in time for fall, Snapdragon Studios has a new jacket pattern out!
Of course there isn't really fall in Bangkok, so I am just pretending (read: sweating in a scarf) here.
This is the Cider House Jacket, a cute, princess-seamed jacket with a peplum and three sleeve length options.
I adored the seaming on the back of the jacket- just beautiful! I also like how the peplum is longer in the back than the front. Very pretty.
I made my Cider House jacket with this thick twill-type fabric, the same stuff I used for my Arielle skirt a few months ago. It might be a little bit too heavy for this jacket- the peplum doesn't drape as well as it does on the photos on the model. Also, the fabric was too thick to gather the collar at the back of the neck- the gathering threads kept snapping and the dental floss/zigzag method wouldn't work either! But I think it looks cool as is and could be folded down, too.
Damn, this fabric is hard to photograph! I had to over expose these photos to show the jacket detail.
And looks permanently wrinkled, too, eh? Doh.
The jacket is unlined (except for the peplum), but the pattern provides instructions for doing Hong Kong seams to make the insides nice and neat. Since I am sewing through my stash, my lining is some cotton lawn left over from the Josephine blouse I made my mom. I didn't have quite enough to make the bias tape for the Hong Kong seams so I just serged my seams.
I love how the sleeves are set in flat and don't have a crazy amount of ease. No wrinkles or accidental tucks! Hooray!
I wasn't planning on putting a button on my jacket because I don't normally fasten blazers, but I like the way the jacket looks and fits when it's closed rather than hanging open, so I went back and added a button and an embroidery thread button loop after the fact. I think you could also easily do buttonholes and buttons on the lower collar band if you wanted, as an alternative to the single button.
I like the jacket! I think my fabric choice is a little bit wrong for this, but I think the jacket's shape and seaming is really nice. I might go down a size next time, as this looks at little big at the bust. But it's made for wearing a sweater underneath, and the Plantain sweater I am wearing in these photos is pretty thin, closer to a t-shirt weight.
If peplums are not your thing, I noticed that it makes a cute little cropped jacket if you leave the peplum off, too. You would just have to draft a hem facing or something to finish the bottom.
Please note: I received this pattern for free from Snapdragon Studios, but my opinions about the pattern are my own.
