Sewing for others.

Do you ever tell yourself you won’t do something and then end up doing  it anyways?

That was me last year.

I told myself that I was not going to be making my daughter’s fall or winter jacket. 

Then we got to this year,  I was about to buy coats for the season. But nothing was really calling to us.. 

.. and I gave in. 💆🏻‍♀️

But this time, determined to make what SHE would wear. Not what I thought she should wear.

You see, I am always feeling cold, but my child is not like that. She feels hot much faster than I do. And I just don’t understand what that feels like. 

So.. In my mind, I think, make it warmer and thicker and she can keep the zip open if she feels hot. 

But she doesn’t like keeping her zip open. For her, it’s either the jacket is on, or off. There’s no in-between.

I had to accept that in my head before I could make something that she would wear. I had to accept her likes, vs what I wanted to make.

And as someone that makes for herself.. and a mom, let’s be honest.. it’s hard to do things differently; to go against your gut and trust that your child understands herself more than you do. 

So what were her needs?

• Not super thick, but also not a poncho
• A hoodie, but not a big one
• No fur/fuzzy fabrics
• Easy to zip
• Pockets

We were going all in, making it more to her taste and liking. 🤞🏽

finding fabric

I found these soft shells with a fleece lining from Knitfabric.com and my child picked a galaxy print.

I also showed her an inspiration jacket .. it was color blocked.. how do I describe it? Hmm like a big herringbone with a top arrow in dark purple and the bottom arrow in light purple. 

She loved that so we ended up getting ½ a yard of a light blue soft shell as well.

So let’s talk about the fabric for sec. 

It was my first time working with a soft shell that was also lined with fleece. 

I didn’t know what to expect – 

• Do I need an extra lining? Or the fleece part would be enough? 
• And if no lining, how do I finish the seams. 

When I received the fabric, it was indeed soft and felt okay. So I threw it in the wash – always prewash your fabrics!!

I was kinda shocked when I took it out of the dryer .. the lint trap in the dryer was black like coal black! 😲 There was a lot of (black) fleece that came off during the first wash. Luckily, subsequent washes have not turned up black. 

And then .. some of the lining started peeling away from the shell!

At first I panicked. Like normal. Then, I realized I could use this to my advantage. I could use the soft shell without the lining in certain areas like facings and the welt pocket opening, where I didn’t want the thick fleece adding bulk.

📌Btw .. if you ever get fabric like this – you can use the iron to either reattach the lining or remove it. If it is peeling, place the iron on top and allow the glue to adhere again (don’t move it while it’s cooling).

Buuut, if you want to remove the lining, heat it up and immediately start peeling the lining away. It’ll come off like butter. *You’re welcome*

The pattern

Picking the pattern was the next hurdle. 

Did I want to try a new pattern, that was actually for jackets? .. Or just go back to using the Love Notions Navigator  like I did two years ago when I upcycled a coat into a quilted jacket for the kiddo?

I decided on the latter – I already knew what to do and it was a matter of adjusting the size to her current size.

If you buy a Love Notions pattern, don’t forget to use the code at the top banner on this page for an extra 10% off.

Like previously, I sized up considerably so that it could fit over clothes. Measurements wise, I should have made a size 6 graded in to a 2 at the waist, and back out to an 8 at the hips. 

I sized up to an 8 overall. But even this was not enough! 

When I was testing out the fit on my child, I noticed that she wanted more ease in the sleeves, but I didn’t want to cut new sleeves.

My thinking brain said.. Why don’t we add a 1.5” wide strip to the sleeve seams?

And I said.. hmm, that would work, and it’s under the arm so no one will see it. Let’s go!

But then, my armscye wasn’t matching so I had to add a gusset to the body side seam.

Fit check #2: sleeves fit well but she wanted more room in the body 🤦🏽‍♀️😭

After seam ripping the topstitching AND the side seams, I ended up adding a similar 1.5” wide strip to the side seams in the body. 

Ideal? Nope. Does anyone notice it? Also nope. Does my child wear the jacket? YES! 🙌

The modifications

I did line the sleeves with a satiny/slippery fabric to help her get in and out of the jacket easier, and also did a half lining to the back of the jacket so the fleece wasn’t up against her back and make her sweat. 

Welt pockets .. I did them a little differently, I don’t like when pockets flap so I made the pocket bags so that they were stitched into the surrounding seams. 

Of course, welt pockets are no joke and if you struggle with them, know that you are not alone and you can totally do it – but make sure to do a test version first!

customization

Embroidery

And per her request, I embroidered some rocket ships and planets to the sleeves. It’s nice to have a mom who sews right? 😉

But don’t worry, I got you – you can add embroidery to your jackets too! I even do custom orders!

So did I meet my kiddo’s needs?

• Not super thick, but also not a poncho ✅
• A hoodie, but not a big one ✅

• No fur/fuzzy fabrics – the fleece is fuzzy but it is a short nap and that is okay with her ✅
• Easy to zip – I used these molded plastic zippers from Wawak, they are nice and big ✅
• Pockets ✅

Overall success and she wears it without complaining!! The biggest win. 

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